Here 's a funny thing - as I was leaving Cordova, some weeks ago, the iPad failed to get a GPS fix. That was OK, I could still refer to the charts and use my trusty Furuno GPS for fixes. It stayed that way until I was in Pelican, when the iPad got an approximate fix from the cellphone system, and then failed to fix when I went out of range again. A few days later, in a remote bay with no cellphone system, the iPad GPS started to fix again. All the time, the Furuno had no difficulty in fixing, so the GPS system itself was operational. I can only put this down to the iPad needing to have an approximate idea of where it was before it could reload its almanac. But why did it fail to fix in the town of Cordova??? And why didn 't it get an immediate GPS fix when I was in Pelican???

Ed I think iPad navigation has really come on in recent months. It 's worth taking a look too at the Garmin charts for iPad (BlueChart) which are also relatively inexpensive (when compared to Chart plotter versions) and integrate with Active Captain as well as GRIBS, weather radar etc.

It won 't be long before we are all wondering how we ever managed without an iPad on board!

Simon

We have loved the iPad and used it as a strong adjunct to our Raymarine E120 and our Mac MacENC computer when crossing the North Atlantic to good avail in 2011... We use it intermittently inside & out in good wx only. (The 1st non-3G iPads in USA did not have GPS chipset, but that was not a problem with us.) During our circumnavigation of Europe (at least the old Roman Empire part of it) we particularly have liked both the Navionics Charts and the iGrib program. We used it navigating the rivers Rhein, Main, and Danube but found no charts of value on the lower Danube (where they just show the river in a useless solid use blue color). But from the Black Sea, through the Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles and Aegean to the Med, all the way to Gibraltar... where we are now ... it has often been a Godsend. We also have relied on the App from the Cruising Assn with all its Captains Mate for finding good anchorages, which are available when offline! We also are very impressed with upgrades that continue in iNavX program and like the newest WeatherTrack app. You can see the latter in operation on YouTube. Finally, we are today downloading the App for iPad that Iridium and App for XGate that let you do email and wx downloads from our Iridium Sat Phone via WiFi accessory.

I 'm in Prince William Sound, Alaska. I have the paper charts, but they 're difficult to read when I 'm exploring the minor channels and tiny coves where the US Coast Pilot says "not to be entered without local knowledge". The iPad is proving to be totally reliable, and I can zoom right in to see the detail that I can 't make out on the paper chart. However, one app is not enough. I have Garmin Bluechart and iSailor, and frequently have to compare one with the other, and choose the one which has the better detail. Though they 're both based on the NOAA charts, they do vary as to what they choose to include.

We use IPad that does not have GPS but with XGPS150 unit connected by Bluetooth. Navionics basic app, UK chart package.. Used it instead of our laptop CMap system during Scottish OCC cruise recently. Accurate, fast, no prob with bright sun but we usually keep it below decks. Big bonus is it uses less power than laptop, good for ships batteries.

Doubt if it is robust enough for long voyaging but I 'm quite happy to use it for coastal cruising with paper chart available.

Ian Sims
Dragonfly

And the IPad proved a great back up when my chart plotter failed ( or more accurately, the SD Card corrupted) in Vanuatu last month.

iPad invaluable.

I would not dismiss the IPad so quickly.

We use it a lot, particularly where we can also get a phone signal because we cross reference the Navionics against a Google Earth.

I spent about $100 on a purpose built water/ shock proof cover - don 't recall the name - but it works and is pretty much bomb proof. If you don 't have a 3G signal you will need to spend time caching charts before you set off but I have found it in valuable because you can cross check your chart against. Google Earth using the same GPS fix.

Why is that important? Well, it allowed me to get out of the Fiji reefs leaving Musket Cove about A mile earlier than those using charts alone. It allowed me to navigate around Fiji where the Navionics simply gave up, and in Bland Bay, NZ it showed me the rock we were to ground on, some 70 metres from any navigational danger marked on the chart - sadly, after we had hit it!

I thought I would add my experience with an iPad. We have a Ship Modul multiplexer that outputs NMEA data inc AIS over wifi. We are able to add waypoints and drive the pilot from the iNavX system. However, if the iPad is set to go to sleep then that function switches off!

We have a Raymarine plotter below and I was keen to be able to switch off the plotter whilst on longer passages and so the iPad is great for a quick check. We also use a waterproof bag that works well in wet conditions.

The other advantage of having a wifi tablet (iPad and Kindle Fire) on board is to be able to connect to the ship 's wireless router that can be connected to wifi (when in range) or satphone (when funds allow)

So, I like it very much and it suits our use perfectly.

Peter

"Different ships, different long splice", I guess. My experience is very different, anyway. However, I see any type of chartplotter as not being the principal means of navigation until you get up to the full-on ECDIS big ship nav systems, with built in redundancy and backup. Until you get to that stage, paper chart and GPS is the principal means, and a chartplotter is a great means of adding another layer of information, even if it 's not 100% reliable. Even the big ships carry paper charts.

Anyway, back to the iPad. I 've just sailed up through the tropics, Tahiti to Hawai 'i. I kept the iPad running all the way, plugged into the 12v socket. I read some novels in iBooks, listened to some music. No problems with keeping it charged. I don 't need to keep it out in bright sunlight. If I need to see it from the helm, I put it on the companionway step. If there 's any moisture about, I put it in a Ziploc bag, and have found no problem with the touchscreen. The screen is much, much better for daylight viewing than my Macbook, and Ive given up on OpenCPN and the like for navigation.

No, the iPad is great for those times when you actually need a chartplotter for info in real time, such as entering a strange port at night, and weaving between hidden dangers when the visibility is poor and landmarks not abundant. Other than that, when you 're offshore, what need of a chartplotter? Only, as far as I can see, to avoid having to buy and carry a shipload of detailed inshore charts. For my trip through the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound this summer, I 've got 1:200,000 paper charts, and will happily be using the iPad, and Transas iSailor and Garmin BlueChart, when the vis is poor, and when I 'm exploring the nooks and crannies.

Tim, thank you so much for this post. We have been discussing this issue at length, deliberating which way to go. What you have said makes great sense. At least you can use your iPad for reading books and email!

Vice Commodore, OCC