You just follow the canal don't you?
Yes, you don't really need satellite navigation to tell you where the canal is, you can see it.
What these guides do is show you all of the things that you need while out cruising.
Amongst other things...
- Services - fuel, water, pump out...
- Moorings
- Winding holes
- Lock positions
- Planned & emergency stoppages
- Shops, post offices, cash points
- Waterway Junctions
- Pubs, restaurants, take aways
- Bus and rail connections
- Surgeries, chemists, pharmacies
And we're adding new information all the time. Eateries for instance are having food hygiene ratings and reviews added, and, because all of the data is online, it's quick and easy to keep it up to date.
You probably already use a Nicholson, Pearson or Imray guide.
And they are very good, but printed material goes out of date quickly. There is a whole new generation of boaters to whom mobile technology is second nature which is where BoatSatNav comes in.
Here are just some of the cool things you can do on a mobile GPS device:
- Location finding - see immediately where you are with one button press. No more having to cross reference bridge numbers or mile markers.
- Location tracking - watch yourself move across the map as you travel. The map scrolls with you so that you can see what is approaching: locks, winding holes, service points, shops etc.
- Selective viewing - You can turn layers on and off so you're only viewing the information that you are interested in - mooring places for example.
- Location sharing - Share your boat position with friends and family. They will be able to see exactly where you are on their own Google Maps.
- Journey times and ETA - Calculate A to B journey times as well as view your ETA at your destination.
Depends how you access the guides:
On a mobile device all you need is the Google Maps App and a Google account, both of which are completely free.
Sorry Windows Phone users, you are the only mobile device that Google doesn't cater for.
To access the guides on a laptop or desktop you just need your free Google account and a web browser.
So what are you waiting for?
Watch the introduction video then select 'START NAVIGATING'' from the menu.
Throw out those 10 year old paper maps, this is navigation in the digital age.
It costs as little as £1 per month to access up to 10 guides, and you can join for one, three, six or twelve months.
BoatSatNav is optimised for use on mobile GPS devices such as phones and tablets (best) but is still accessible using a laptop or desktop computer