When your boat’s systems seem out of whack, the new Nautic-On Monitoring System relays vital data to your service provider for real-time diagnostics.
The mobile app enables owners to monitor their boat remotely and view key components such as the battery and bilge. When owners aren’t on board, they can receive immediate alerts if something’s gone wrong or the boat has been moved.
MSRP with three sensors: $840
The U.S., British, and the Spanish Virgin Islands are some of the world’s best cruising grounds. While the physical distance between these islands is small (a mere 70 miles), the international divide is wide. For pleasure boaters, this means clearing customs when arriving in the U.S.V.I. from the B.V.I. and clearing in again upon arrival in Puerto Rico (or its offshore islands of Culebra and Vieques) from the U.S.V.I. or foreign ports. The good news is that process just got simpler.
In July, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched its Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile (ROAM) app. To use, download the app on a web-enabled smart device from the Apple App store or Google Play store. Mariners then input their biographic, conveyance and trip details and submit their trip for CBP Officer (CBPO) review. The CBPO may initiate a video chat to further interview travelers. Once the CBPO reviews the trip, travelers receive a push notification and an email with their clearance status and the next steps, if applicable.
A few marinas have already collaborated with CBP to make ROAM available to their clients via a tablet located on site. These include Puerto Rico’s Marina Pescadería in the west coast town of Cabo Rojo and Puerto Del Rey Marina in Fajardo on the east coast where the ROAM kiosk is located under its new boathouse. In the U.S.V.I., it’s possible to clear in using ROAM at the St. Croix Yacht Club in Teague Bay. cbp.gov
ROAM is a free mobile application that provides an option for pleasure boaters to report their U.S. entry to CBP via their personal smartphone or a tablet located at local businesses to satisfy the above reporting requirements.
In limited areas, travelers arriving in remote areas may also be eligible to use the ROAM.
Confirm that ROAM is accepted at your local point of entry. Be sure to take note of the Pleasure Boat Reporting Locations, since it is only available in limited areas.
A free login.gov account is required.
Read more about clearing customs in the U.S. or learn more about the ROAM app.
By Erin Brennan, Southern Boating 2018
This post was updated 11/27/18.
Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota has created a free smartphone app for Florida boaters to report red tide algae blooms, the first red tide reporting app of its kind. Karenia brevis, the species prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico along the west coast of Florida, sometimes blooms out of control, and its toxins kill fish, shellfish, mammals, and birds. It also impacts public health.
The new Mote Citizen Science Information Collaboration (CSIC) app is for Android and iOS smartphones and is listed as “Mote CSIC” in the app store. See something? Smell something? Send in a report. Real-time reports from boaters help scientists from Mote and Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute pinpoint the location, confirm the type of bloom and determine the proper response.
Another new-tech reporting tool is a little, yellow submarine nicknamed Waldo. Waldo carries BreveBuster, a Mote-designed instrument that detects red tide. Mote scientists can launch Waldo and steer it to a red tide bloom and determine its shape, size, and intensity. mote.org
By Bill Aucoin, Southern Boating March 2018
Photo Courtesy of Mote Marine Laboratory
CrewWatcher Man Overboard System is an app-based man overboard (MOB) alarm system that has two components: a smartphone app and a beacon. The alarm will sound automatically when a crew member goes missing, and it provides lat/long coordinates where the MOB occurred, the time of the event, and bearing and distance back to the target. No cell service is required.
One phone or tablet monitors up to five beacons; great for pets, too. MSRP $89.99 per beacon, the man overboard app is free.
Monitor your Vesper AIS transponder right on your wrist with the free Vesper Marine Deckwatch App that repeats information about potential collisions, anchor drag or MOB on an Android Wear 2-enabled smartwatch.
The app connects directly to the WiFi network on the smartAIS and sounds alerts based on range and bearing of targets. Keep your information handy and your smart devices dry.
Owners of large yachts typically employ crew to manage and care for their yachts and to ensure their systems are in good working order. Owners of boats less than yacht-sized, however, generally manage and care for their own. But if they don’t dock it right behind their home, short of hiring full-time crew, it’s nearly impossible to monitor their boat 24/7, or it was until recently.
Yacht Protector is an innovative, affordable and easy-to-install boat monitoring system designed for boats of all sizes. Now, before you envision your boat being dismantled to install the system, think again. Yacht Protector was designed to be a plug-and-play system, so no boat modifications are required. Here’s how it works.
Wireless sensors are paired with the CORE module then strategically placed and set throughout the boat. Owners download the Yacht Protector app on their phone, tablet or laptop that enables them to monitor essential onboard systems. The boat’s current position can be seen in map or satellite view, and a complete history by day, week and month can be viewed and pinpointed to within 3 minutes. If there’s any deviation from the system’s thresholds that have been designated by the user, the owner and up to four additional contacts are alerted via the app. Additional alerts are sent via SMS, email and even a phone call from the call center.
Yacht Protector is the brainchild of Gerald Berton, CEO and owner of the Yacht Group. “Boat owners of every size wonder what’s happening with their boat when they’re not there and wonder ‘Will my batteries be okay? Has anyone been on my boat?’” says Berton. “The idea was to come up with a very easy-to-install and intuitive system that allows a person to use their smartphone to access the boat and put a geofence around his boat so they know if it’s been used.” Berton adds that people are comfortable using their smart devices, and the Yacht Protector app provides all the information on the device including forecasted weather risks.
The system has a built-in GPS, so if you’re in a mooring the geofence can be set for a perimeter around the boat. You can receive an alert if someone is on or approaching your boat, and you can also adjust for drift. For larger boats, the geofence can be set to also monitor tenders aboard. The alert system can be muted when desired, and customization options include language, sensor names, alert thresholds, geofence settings, avatars, and much more. “The alert system is really user-friendly. You get an email immediately and also a push alert. If you don’t accept it, you’ll receive one every minute for the first 10 minutes, then at the end you get a text message,” explains Berton. “If there’s something going on, you want to know about it right away. If you don’t answer those, you’ll get a phone call from the call center. You can also list whomever you want as a contact—marina, person who cares for the boat, neighbors, etc. So marinas can have a little cottage industry, too, by providing service and being named as a contact.” The main keyfob is programmed for the boat owner, and additional keys can be programmed for authorized persons.
Dave Sell and a business partner took delivery of their 2016 Azimut 66 Fly in early August and each has his own keyfob. “I don’t live aboard the boat, which is the main reason why I installed Yacht Protector,” says Sell, who lives in Newport Beach, California, about 20 minutes away from Marina del Rey where the boat is docked. “I wanted some indication of the systems at all times.” Sell installed the system himself with some assistance from a marine service company who was doing work on his yacht at the time. Both Sell and his partner have the app on their phones, and their keyfobs are programmed so that when either one of them goes on the boat, the motion sensor is muted on the other’s keyfob so that no alerts are sent.
According to Sell, the Yacht Protector system has already paid for itself. “Just last weekend we got an alert that the shore power was cut. We called the marina, they sent their person to the dock and found out the power receptacle was not functioning properly,” says Sell, who added additional sensors to the standard unit. “That malfunction would have caused problems for all the boats on the dock, but Yacht Protector on my boat prevented it.”
The Yacht Protector system costs $1,295 and includes a one-year subscription and a two-year warranty. So how does it save you money? In addition to peace of mind, since you’re able to monitor your boat 24/7, the risks of theft and other kinds of damage are significantly reduced. Consequently, boat or yacht insurance may be discounted, and some carriers even pay for the alert/service center fees and a substantial portion of the actual system’s cost. According to Berton, NOVAMAR gives discounts of up to $500.
INFORMATION:
yachtprotector.com
— By Liz Pasch, Southern Boating Magazine October 2016
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Oregon Inlet bid process delayed
The bidding process for a 10-year contract to run the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center on North Carolina’s Outer Banks has reached a standstill. Mariners looking to use the Center should find business as usual this year, but that could change next year. The National Park Service granted the current operator a yearlong extension with plans to reevaluate the process. After 40 years of running the marina the board of the Fishing Center had to bid for a 10-year contract to operate the business, which was originally created in the 1960s by local charter boat captains. The Park Service is the owner of the facility within Cape Hatteras National Seashore on the north side of the inlet. The Park Service had extended the solicitation period for its prospectus. After reviewing one bid the service offered a contract, but it has not been signed. The bidding document included a requirement that insurance coverage would have to increase from $300,000 to $6 million. “The contract that they presented has quite a few differences in it than in the past,” said Kenneth Brown, vice president of the Fishing Center’s board. “We are in the process of trying to find a common ground with the Park Service to try to keep Oregon Inlet Fishing Center a viable business.”
Chesapeake Catch is a new online app that acts as a personal log to record your catch, post photos and help managers keep track of the Chesapeake Bay’s most popular fish—rockfish (striped bass), redfish (red drum), speckled trout, croaker, yellow perch, and shad. Chesapeake Catch is a local affiliate of Angler Action, which pioneered the system for collecting data from anglers to inform fishery management. The national project first launched in Florida with an app and website for recreational anglers to log data about snook catches. The data helped managers at the Florida Wildlife Commission to advance snook recovery in the state.
Chesapeake Catch is led by Bay area anglers to gather data so that natural resources personnel can make informed fisheries management decisions and policies, and it puts fishermen in touch with other local anglers to chat and to learn. “Anglers have a huge investment in good fisheries management, because we want more fish to catch for years to come,” said Ed Liccione, former chairman of the Coastal Conservation Association of Maryland. “Chesapeake Catch helps us track what we’re catching and connect with other anglers but also makes our catch count in decisions about conservation and management.”
Bill Goldsborough, Director of Fisheries, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, added, “Good data makes for good management, and both make for better fishing. We can all have a voice in better fisheries management with Chesapeake Catch, and I encourage all anglers who care about the future of fishing in Maryland to download the app.” Fishing guides, recreational fishing bloggers and other anglers involved in organizations such as the Maryland Sportsman Foundation, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Environmental Defense Fund, and Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association participated in the working group behind Chesapeake Catch. Download it in iTunes or the Google Play store. chesapeakecatch.com
By Christopher Knauss, Southern Boating February 2015
