Navionics Dock-to-Dock Autorouting

[Boathooked]

Anyone using Navionics on an iPad use this yet?

Navionics Dock-to-dock Autorouting now live with automatic POIs | Muskie Fishing

I come from the flying world, where flight planning programs would allow me to pre-plan the flight incorporating weather patterns (such as how the winds blow and the corrected heading to fly), hazard avoidance (flight restricted areas, mountains, etc.) and then print out a flight package one could reference during the trip (with allowance to note/make corrections during the flight, as weather changes of course), while telling me about services available at the destination and along the way (fuel prices, restaurants, etc). and have had a hard time finding something similar for sailing..

I am hoping that this new feature brings Navionics closer to this type of product and would love any real-world feedback.

[jtulls]

The autorouting feature is pretty new but seems to be similar to what you describe for the flight planning software. The routing is set based on the draft you assign (rather than weather) so it will set your course through appropriate channels and will highlight a segment in red if your draft exceeds the depth or is even close to it.

The app itself also has the other features you mention from the flight package -- if you click the magnifying glass in the top left it will show you available services for marinas, fuel, shops, restaurants, tides, currents, and a few other options. I've been happy with it so far for quick planning in unfamiliar areas since I can get a route set without much thought. Then it's just up to me to look over it and make sure nothing looks out of whack!

[CaptWil]

Hi

Yes, also fly, H225 and trying to emulate the same environment on water ain't easy or cheap or that reliable...

Using Navionics on my mini Ipad but so far find it complicated to set up. Also it will not find the shortest route even if reducing the water draft required

I thought AIS via Wifi would integrate on the ipad with Navionics as well but so far zero result..

Rgds
Will

[jtulls]

Originally Posted by CaptWil

Hi
Also it will not find the shortest route even if reducing the water draft required

It seems like, aside from just leaving or coming into the dock, it tries to route you along marked channels even if your draft is low enough to cut across somewhere. They've got to be sure to route you along a safe course that can be easily navigated!

[Sandero]

Generating an optimal route is certainly a good concept for coastal cruising when you have to negotiate channels, underwater hazards, variable strong currents and so forth. What is the real problem is when someone interfaces their AP with this and lets the electronics run the boat.

Assuming the captain is maintaining proper watch... he can deal with BOATS which will not show up on an auto route... AND there is a very strong possibility of encountering them on reciprocal courses and others crossing the route bound for other destinations.

THIS is the issue...prudent and safe operation of a vessel.

For the sailor the auto route is not useful.... he usually can't follow a route because he has to SAIL, tack, gybe etc.

I know from personal experience of how GPS driven AP can lead to head on collisions when vessels are on reciprocal courses. A very popular sail is from Watch Hill RI to block Island. A course which can be sailed without tacking or gybing on the typical SW wind. What you have on the weekend is a stream of vessels heading from Watch Hill to BI and from, BI to watch Hill... From the air it would look like two strings of ants. Skippers really need to be paying attention at all time. There are also vessels crossing between LI and points east. I've seen several very close calls. I've seen boats with no one in the cockpit... and I assume they were under AP and likely GPS driven ones.

This Auto Route feature should be disabled when the GPS/software is used to drive the AP.

BTW... boat operators need to think... know how to navigate and these sorts of "short cuts" will lead to the dumbing down of boat operators. Anyone can point and click two points and then the button that says.. go to.

[colemj]

How would your tablet know your AP is on? Even if it did, it can't talk to it, or control it, anyway. Do you understand what is being discussed here?

You have a long history of unreasonable and unsubstantiated fear of an AP steering to a waypoint. Your logic is faulty, and you are using cherry picked assumptions to support it. Even using your flawed reasoning and assumptions, the problem still isn't with an integrated AP anymore than high speed crashes are due to the throttle handle or even engine size, or that running aground is due to a GPS.

Mark

[seandepagnier]

Originally Posted by Sandero

For the sailor the auto route is not useful.... he usually can't follow a route because he has to SAIL, tack, gybe etc.

Normally the autorouting takes into account the sailing characteristics of the vessel generating the tacks and gybes needed.

With that said, any autorouting algorithm such as in opencpn weather routing plugin is capable of "dock to dock" provided that the inputs are correct.

I don't think in practice it makes much sense. When approaching or leaving a dock, you need to react to lots of external inputs and the computer has no concept of.

We are still a long way from calculating say, how the wind is blocked or distorted by things in ports like ships and buildings, and also by the ships you must sail past even if we knew exactly the wind which we don't.

It might even be impossible to leave a given dock with certain wind conditions, but for a smaller boat which can be pushed off to get enough momentum to clear the next boat can succeed. Technically the computer can work with these types of details, but I have never heard of it.

[jtulls]

Originally Posted by boat_alexandra

Normally the autorouting takes into account the sailing characteristics of the vessel generating the tacks and gybes needed.

I believe the auto-routing feature on the app is straight line courses, since it's a blanket algorithm for all types of boats (motor and sail). The only adjustable input is the draft of your vessel.

Expanding on other comments, I think these auto-routing features are more for initial planning rather than in the cockpit planning. I've mostly used the Navionics dock-to-dock to get a general feel for the safe course and then I analyze around that for shallows or potential hazards, knowing that I'll have to tack/gybe/sail shifts rather than straight-line driving. I'm not too keen to have something that tells me every step -- takes the fun out of owning a sailboat!