Please select your home edition
Edition
Pantaenius Sail 2025 AUS Leaderboard

Sail Timer now for iPhone, iPod or iPad AND with a waterproof bag

by Sail-World Cruising on 31 Mar 2010
Drypak SW
The SailTimer app - a quick and simple way to get your Tacking Time to Destination - from iTunes can now be used on the new iPad tablets, in addition to iPhone and iPod, and currently comes at a marked-down price of US$3.99.

Ordinary GPS units do not account for the fact that sailboats zig-zag, when calculating ETA. The SailTimer app does, and can also show you the optimal tacking angles.


You can get the iTunes link at http://www.IndepthNavigation.com where you will also see a link to the Apple Online Store for an impressive new GPS attachment for iPod Touch. There are also soft waterproof bags that allow you to control the touchscreen right through the soft plastic -- also available for the new iPad!

All about SailTimer:

Whether you are a racing sailor, a day cruiser or a circumnavigator, calculating when you will arrive at your next destination - a waypoint, a marker buoy or a distant island - is a vital piece of information, pretty easy if you're running, but if you're tacking, it's more of a challenge.

Iphone App SailTimer has the answer. Unfortunately,the ETA function on standard GPS units was designed for powerboats, and does not deal with sailboat tacking very well. That is why it may go blank when you stay on a tack too long. It views that as cross-track 'error'.

Using VMG (velocity made good) to gauge your progress towards your waypoint while tacking upwind is also problematic. VMG decreases all by itself the longer you stay on a tack. It is like driving down the highway in a car at a constant speed, and have the speedometer deflate all the way down to 0, even though your speed hasn't changed. Not very useful. It could even be a safety hazard.

But with SailTimer for the iPhone/iPod, all sailors can now have a correct method to know when they will make

landfall - or be home for lunch.

However, it has one more benefit - it will also calculate for you what are the optimal sailing angles to get there.

SailTimer already appears in several navigation/charting programs for Mac and PC including ones from MacENC.com and NavSim.com. There is also a free version for Google Maps (which requires an internet connection), and a small Windows desktop version (no maps).

You can plot waypoints on Google Maps and calculate times to go to them, can calculate the distances on each tack, and much more. SailTimer Lite is a free download from iTunes, and the full version is US $13.99, now dramatically reduced.

For more information, go to the SailTimer http://www.IndepthNavigation.com!Website!

RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERCyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERMaritimo 2023 S600 FOOTER

Related Articles

SP80 kiteboat reaches a top speed of over 58 knots
100 km/h barrier is smashed in Leucate The SP80 kiteboat has reached a top speed of over 58 knots, or 108 km/h. This new personal best makes SP80 the second fastest sailboat ever recorded, behind Vestas Sailrocket II and its 68.01-knot top speed.
Posted today at 10:04 am
Italian SailGP Team acquired by investors
The consortium includes Hollywood royalty, Anne Hathaway SailGP has today announced that the Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, has officially been acquired by a consortium of accomplished investors and sports industry leaders, including Hollywood royalty, Anne Hathaway.
Posted today at 8:53 am
Armstrong Foils: On tour - Home of Armstrong II
Join America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders on the tour of NZ's Far North Join three times America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders Olivia Jenkins, Naumi Eychenne, Bowien van der Linden, Cash Berzolla, and Reo Stevens, on the Home of Armstrong Tour II, as they explore NZ's Far North.
Posted today at 4:46 am
America's Cup entries open on Sunday
A Cup in turmoil - has Grant Dalton dodged a bullet with the new Cup organisation? America's Cup gets underway in Rome with Round 2 of the official welcoming ceremonies on Wednesday in Naples. Emirates Team NZ CEO Grant Dalton apprears to have dodged a bullet with the formation of of new AC organising body.
Posted on 26 May
Italian PM welcomes America's Cup in Rome
Prime Minister Meloni set out a bold vision for the regeneration planned around AC38 The magnificent setting of the Casino del Bel Respiro, commissioned by Pope Innocent X in 1644, in the grounds of Villa Pamphilj, was the outstanding and historic setting for the formal presentation of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup.
Posted on 26 May
Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta preview
Sørvind to debut at this edition, in Sardinia The Mediterranean superyacht racing season will kick off on 27th May with the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta, organised annually by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda since 2008 and supported by title sponsor Giorgio Armani since 2022.
Posted on 26 May
Winning Sails for Every Sailor & Every Program
Beer cans or the big leagues, North Sails perform From one design sails to custom inventories, trust the experts at North Sails to elevate your performance.
Posted on 25 May
72nd Melbourne to Apollo Bay Race overall
MRV stifles Ambition to take line honours and overall win Margaret Rintoul V (MRV), skippered by Damien King from the Sandringham Yacht Club (SYC), has sailed a fast and furious race to win the 72nd Melbourne to Apollo Bay Race (M2AB).
Posted on 25 May
The link between two great Australian sports
A unique connection between brute strength and beauty James Joseph Giltinan was one of Australia's great entrepreneurs of the early 1900s, and the man most responsible for creating a unique link between one of the most confrontational football codes in the world and the beauty of sailing.
Posted on 25 May
Records smashed at SCIBS 2025
Officially the Largest Ever Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show Massive crowds enjoyed a spectacular 36th Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show with a record number of boats delivering an unsurpassed display of marine innovation, luxury and lifestyle.
Posted on 25 May