The Best Tool to Carry on the Boat: A SMART PHONE

 

We could start a great debate here if we were to ask: what was the one tool we would like to have aboard the boat in a time of need? My opinion, for what it is worth would be to have the tool that we most likely carry with us on our person, every hour of every day - and that is our smart phone.

 

With all of the applications that are available to mariners today, the smart phone is capable of assisting with navigation, finding the closest watering hole (with the best review), summoning assistance, checking tides and currents, computing range, acting as a flashlight, checking availability at marinas and yacht clubs, and the list can go on. I challenge our seasoned and salty captains to name a tool we could so coddle as our smart phones that is capable of so much. Granted there are those necessities on board such as life saving devices which in certain circumstances would prove more useful, yet none are so diverse in their application. Additionally it is sound advice to carry a cache of the most common tools which could assist one in addressing quick fixes to keep family and friends enjoying our time on the water. Yet none in that cache would be so useful if properly armed.

 

There are a multitude of apps today with varying degrees of usefulness. The three I feel are most useful to us as mariners on the Gulf Coast are weather related, navigation related, and tide related. Granted these all require a cellular connection which will not always be available especially when cruising offshore, yet they are great for preparing to go offshore. Navionics makes a great navigation app and can be downloaded for specific regions. This app also includes graphs and interactive tide/current charts taking care of two very useful apps in one. Everyone has their favorite weather app yet at the very least it should give real-time weather radar and marine forecasts. Apps like Urban Spoon and Yelp are useful in finding a place to eat, imbibe, or unwind when traveling to an unknown locale. If you are a member of Boat US or SeaTow, both have apps that will provide you with contact info and useful info if there services are necessary. Want to be a guru at knot tying or just want to impress your friends? Try Pro Knot. This is also a great tool for finding the best knot when fishing as today’s braided fishing lines require more technical knots especially when attaching to monofilament.

 

Bottom line is that most of us will never leave the dock without our smart phones so why not use them to their potential?