The Marine OS blog
Field notes for modern marinas
Operations playbooks, compliance deep-dives, and industry research — for the people who run marinas.
Best Anchor Alarm App: 5 Options Compared (2026)
The best anchor alarm apps in 2026: Aqua Map AnchorLink, Savvy Navvy, OpenCPN anchor watch, dedicated apps, and browser-based anchor watch. How drag alarms work and how to set the radius right.
Float Plan Template: What to Include and Who to Send It To
A copyable float plan template, what the US Coast Guard recommends including, who should hold it, and how route planner apps generate and email a float plan automatically.
Boat Fuel Consumption Calculator: GPH Formulas and Charts
How to calculate boat fuel consumption: gallons per hour by horsepower, the trip fuel formula, typical burn rates for outboards and diesels, the one-third rule, and per-leg planning.
Weather Windows for Sailing: How to Pick the Right Departure
How to judge a sailing weather window: wind and gust thresholds, wave height and period, ECMWF vs GFS vs ICON forecast models, and tools that scan departure times along your whole route.
Boat GPS Tracking Apps: Share Your Location From the Water
Ways to track a boat and share your live location: satellite trackers, AIS, and phone-based tracking with live share links. Coverage, costs, and which approach fits coastal vs offshore.
Sea Distance API: Port-to-Port Route APIs Compared (2026)
The sea distance and sea route APIs compared in 2026: Searoutes, SEAMETRIX, Datalastic, and the Marine OS Route API. Pricing, what each returns, and how port-to-port distances are computed.
Sailing Route Planner: Plotting a Passage by Wind and Tide
How a sailing route planner works and which apps do it best in 2026, from wind and tide routing to waypoints and offline charts, plus how to plan a sailing passage.
Nautical Route Planner Online: Charting a Course in Your Browser
How to plan a nautical route online in a browser, which web-based route planners work in 2026, and when a browser tool is enough versus a full chartplotter app.
Voyage Planning Software: What Passage-Makers Actually Need
What voyage planning software does, which tools passage-makers use in 2026, and the features that matter for offshore trips: weather routing, charts, and departure planning.
How to Plan a Boat Route: Waypoints, Distance, Bearing, and ETA
A step-by-step guide to planning a boat route: setting waypoints, reading distance and bearing, estimating time and fuel, checking hazards and weather, and saving the plan.
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