Pocket Mariner Apps for Apple Watch

Free watch app extension with purchase of iPhone app starting at $4.99, Apple Watch starts at $349; www.pocketmariner.com

I find the Apple Watch fascinating, even if I have no plans to own one myself. The first hands-on reviews are coming out now, and at least one boating-app developer was ready to go when the watches were released to the public. Pocket Mariner has developed many apps for iPhones, iPads, and Macs, as well as Android devices, and three of the AIS-related ones that run on iPhones now have free Watch extensions. Boat Watch is essentially an AIS viewer, and on the Watch you’ll be able to see up to five vessels on a miniature map, as well as scroll a list of nearby targets, drill down for typical AIS info like speed and heading, and swipe to a photo, if available. It could be fun for checking out a harbor from a tiki bar or to see the whereabouts of a ferry you’re about to board, but who will be the first high roller to show off his megayacht on his $15,000 42mm 18-Karat Yellow Gold Watch Edition? By contrast, another app from Pocket Mariner, Boat Beacon, was designed for use on the water and thus, the watch applet includes some navigation screens. Like the main app, the watch extension can also alarm you about a potential AIS collision—i.e. a vessel that gets within CPA/TCPA (Closest Point of Approach/Time to Closest Point of Approach) parameters you set—or if a live AIS man overboard beacon is detected. Boat Beacon users will also be able to access AIS vessel info and photos on their Watch just like with Boat Watch above, and the same will be true with the third app: SeaNav, which can provide vector-chart navigation for some regions and can also integrate with Boat Beacon’s AIS resources. The charts can’t go to the Watch, but a waypoint-steering screen will.