Vesper’s original take on this was using their WatchMate app for the smartphone, and it worked reasonably well. Why not use that GPS when you’re anchoring to mark the spot, set a radius, and send out alarms! This was a genius idea since the AIS transponder already has a dedicated GPS, is usually pretty low power, and many people leave them on 24×7, even while at anchor. Vesper Marine is well known for their line of AIS transponders, and a few years ago came out with a way to set an anchor alarm leveraging that hardware. Ensure it has a quality GPS, a reliable battery and power setup, test the signal belowdecks where you sleep, disconnect it from Bluetooth radios or speakers so that the alarm is local and loud, and test it frequently to make sure it still works like you want it to. I recommend using a dedicated iPad or Android Tablet that is kept at the helm and only moved to another location when you retire for the evening. Using your phone might seem like a good idea - but what if you want to go ashore without it, or what if it runs out of battery? Using a tablet is a good choice, but many have inaccurate GPS or, in the case of iPads without cellular modems, none at all. In order to have a reliable anchor alarm experience with an app of any kind, you need to choose your hardware carefully. Part of the reason I like Anchor! is that it has a well designed user interface that makes it simple to deal with when you’re waking up from a deep sleep. Configuring email requires your iPad to have an email client setup already, and can be a bit more finicky. Configuring alerts is easy - the audible and screen alerts are pretty much available by default, and are a great way to know if something is wrong. The color of the line changes over time so you can see trends and changes based on wind and tide. Before the advent of systems covered below, I relied on Anchor! and the remote text/email feature when I left the boat for any time at anchor.Īnchor! is very easy to use and has an excellent graphical representation of your movement around your anchor. The latter three features are premium and require either a subscription or a one time payment depending on your platform. These include a bright visual screen indication (ideal for a dark berth at night to wake you up), loud audible alarms, text messaging, email, and remote monitoring. It has been around a while, is very reliable and easy to use, and has great alarms. My favorite app is Anchor! avail able for both Apple and Android devices. Smartphone and tablet apps for anchor monitoring are very popular and have developed in recent years to be a reliable system if used appropriately.
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