For years, venturing out on the Great Lakes required carrying a “visual distress signal” device on your boat — and that meant flares. Unfortunately, flares expire and need to be replaced every few years. (Usually, they expire just prior to your Coast Guard inspection!) But can you rely on flares to actually work in an emergency? Now an electronic device can take their place. The Coast Guard has approved the Sirius SOS Distress Light for use in place of flares. While flares burn for minutes, this LED light will shine for hours and can be seen for up to 10 nautical miles. See the video below.
Dockwa.com is a website and a mobile phone app for making transient slip reservations. Think of it as “OpenTable for boaters.” BoatUS members often get discounts at the marinas listed. Though stronger in the eastern U.S., they are rapidly expanding westward to include the Great Lakes and Inland Waterways. The free smartphone app uses your phone’s location services to find marinas in the vicinity.
The windyty.com website offers a fascinating look at wind conditions both across the globe and nearby. The mesmerizing, moving maps show wind speed & direction, temperature, wave heights and more in real time and for the future.
In the cool-boating-toys-you-probably-don’t-need category is the Hawkey Handheld Depth Finder. About the size of a large flashlight, hold it in the water to get an instant, accurate depth and temperature reading, as well as a picture of fish or bottom obstacles on the LED display. Since it’s portable, you can take it from boat to boat, on a rental or charter trip, on your kayak, or just use it from the dock.
And finally, if you’re into made-up words, there’s “scarping”.
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