Unlike other Marine Navigation apps on the AppStore, SeaNav comes with a really useful and free Apple Watch App which shows live navigation information, waypoints, compass, wind display and AIS radar. Waypoint reached and CPA (AIS collision) alerts also show up on your Apple Watch.
You can add a launch complication for SeaNav to your main Watchface, so you can tap and go straight to SeaNav.
You can also launch SeaNav by tapping its icon in the Apps view on the watch
Stop and start sailing a route by tapping the boat icon with the cross on it.
SeaNav is now Sailing the currently selected route with the boat symbol showing the heading. SeaNav on your iPhone will also now be in Sailing mode recording your track etc.
Navigation display
Swipe left to view the WayPoint display. This shows the current Waypoint number, Cross Track error (XTE) and direction to turn to get back on track , vector made good (VMG), bearing to waypoint (BWP) and distance to Waypoint (DWP). You can jump to the previous or next waypoint using the arrows at the bottom of the screen.
Waypoint display
Swipe left again to view the compass showing heading (or course over ground (cog)) with a blue line showing the route direction.
Compass display
Next up is the wind display. This shows a compass with boat heading up, true and apparent wind direction plus the port (red) and starboard (green) laylines ( for sailing). The bearing to the next waypoint is also shown in light blue. The wind display can either use NMEA wind data from a wind instrument on board via Wifi or the current local wind data from the SeaNav live internet weather service (IAP).
Wind display
Finally you can check the boats around you with the AIS Map display. CPA boats are shown with a red circle on the map and in red in the scrollable list below. Tap on an item in the list to get more info and a photo.
AIS Map display.
You can try all these features for free in simulation mode with the SeaNav app which is free to download from the AppStore.
View realtime AIS on your boat’s Multifunction Display (MFD) without an AIS receiver and aerial or improve and extend your local VHF AIS reception with over the horizon and “instant on”* internet AIS. Boat Beacon can share its real time internet AIS data via Wifi and NMEA2000 (or 0183) to MFDs like Garmin, SIMRAD/B&G/Lowrance and Raymarine.
Here is Boat Beacon on an iPhone using Wifi to send its live AIS data to a SIMRAD NSS MFD over NMEA2000 via the N2K0183 adapter.
Here’s how to configure the N2K0183 device with Boat Beacon running on iOS. (Android instructions here). The Boat Beacon AIS data will be received via cellular and sent out over the boat’s NMEA2000 network. You will need the Boat Beacon AIS Share feature enabled (demo mode or IAP). Also make sure you have the latest firmware for the N2K0183 – v2.8 or later. N2K0183V28.BIN (July 2025)
Connect the N2K0183 to the boat’s NMEA2000 network.
Next connect your iPhone to the N2K0183’s Wifi network (SSID N2K0183 password 12345678) and use Safari or Chrome on your iPhone to browse to http://192.168.4.1 to view its setting page.
Set the WIFI ports settings TCP to 2001 and check the TCP to N2K checkbox.
IMPORTANT: If you are using the N2K0183 in “USE N2K0183 AP ONLY” mode, which is the default, you need to change the SSID (top left of the settings page ) to N2K0183:NG.
Using N2K0183:NG as the SSID lets iOS know it cannot use the N2K0183 Wifi connection for internet data. It ensures the iPhone/iPad will still use its cellular connection to connect to the internet and fetch AIS data etc.
Finally tap the blue SET button to set the configuration.
If you have changed the SSID you will need to search and reconnect the iPhone to the new SSID (e.g. N2K0183:NG )Wifi network.
N.B. If you don’t have NMEA2000 on board and want to use and output NMEA0183 check the TCP to P2 checkbox on the N2K0183 and set the Serial Ports Settings for P2> to 38400.
Now launch Boat Beacon and go to Settings. Make sure AIS Sharing is On ( requires demo mode or an IAP) . Next tap the AIS & GPS Link row to configure the connection to the N2K0183.
Set the port to 2001, the Host to 192.168.4.1 and the switch to tx
Then tap Start and you should start to see live AIS data being sent.
Make sure Boat Beacon is set to Sailing mode so that it keeps transmitting even when in background (e.g. screen off). Now check your MFD display connected to the NMEA2000 network and see the live ship positions around you.
If you have a WiFi network on board with internet both Boat Beacon and the N2K0183 can connect via that instead so that Boat Beacon can use that connection instead of your iPhone’s cellular data. Configure the N2K0183 to connect to the boat’s Wifi network ( set the SSID and password and set mode to “ALSO CONNECT TO EXTERNAL”. Then tap the blue “SET” button. The N2K0183 will restart and get an IP address on the Boat’s Wifi network. Note this IP address, it is displayed just under the N2K<>N0183 banner (e.g. 192.168.1.173 – you can still connect to the N2KNMEA via 192.168.4.1 if you want or need to).
With your iPhone connected to the same boat’s Wifi network (e.g. STARLINK) set Boat Beacon’s AIS & GPS Link to send to the N2K0183’s boat’s wifi IP address instead of 192.168.4.1 (e.g. 192.168.1.173) and then tap Start.
You can purchase the N2K0183 NMEA2000 Wifi gateway from here. Other NMEA2000 wireless servers like the DigitalYacht NAVLINK2 , Quark-Elec, Actisense etc. will also work with Boat Beacon to share its live AIS data to your MFD.
*”Instant on” refers to the instant static ship data ( name, type, size etc.) that you get with Boat Beacon’s internet AIS feed whereas with VHF AIS it can take up to 6 minutes to receive a vessels static message and view the info.
Here’s how to configure the N2K0183 device with Boat Beacon running on Android. The Boat Beacon AIS data will be sent out over the boat’s NMEA2000 network.
Connect the N2K0183 to the boat’s NMEA2000 network.
Next connect your Android device to the N2K0183’s Wifi network (SSID N2K0183 password 12345678) and use Chrome to browse to http://192.168.4.1 to view its setting page.
Set the WIFI ports settings TCP to 2001 and check the TCP to N2K checkbox.
If you don’t have NMEA2000 on board and want to use and output NMEA0183 instead check the TCP to P2 checkbox and set the Serial Ports Settings for P2> to 38400.
Finally tap the blue SET button to set the configuration.
Now launch Boat Beacon and go to Settings. Make sure AIS Share is enabled ( requires IAP with 3 day free trial) .
Next tap the Local AIS row to configure the connection to the N2K0183.
Select TCP AIS TX
The Local AIS Host and Port fields will now show and need to be set.
Set the port to 2001 and the Host to 192.168.4.1
Now go back to Boat Beacon’s map view and make sure Boat Beacon is set to Sailing mode (sailboat icon bottom left selected) so that it keeps transmitting even when in background (e.g. screen off or viewing another app). Now check your MFD display connected to the NMEA2000 network and see the live ship positions around you.
If you have a WiFi network on board with internet both Boat Beacon and the N2K0183 can connect via that instead so that Boat Beacon can use that connection instead of your phones cellular data. Configure the N2K0183 to connect to the boat’s Wifi network ( set the SSID and password and set mode to “ALSO CONNECT TO EXTERNAL”. Then tap the blue “SET” button. The N2K0183 will restart and get an IP address on the Boat’s Wifi network. Note this IP address, it is displayed just under the N2K<>N0183 banner (e.g. 192.168.1.173 – you can still connect to the N2KNMEA via 192.168.4.1 if you want or need to).
With your Android device connected to the same boat’s Wifi network (e.g. STARLINK) set Boat Beacon’s Local AIS to send to the N2K0183’s boat’s new wifi IP address e.g. 192.168.1.173 instead of 192.168.4.1.
We monitor the Humber Windfarms with our AISWatch service and captured the collision today between Solong ( cargo ship in green) and the Stena Immaculate ( oil tanker in red).
You can watch the AISWatch replay of the incident in 3D here:-
Australian and French vector (ENC) charts are now available for SeaNav.
The French charts include live tidal stream information up to 7 days ahead, especially important for the northern coast and channel. Here is an example for the Golfe du Morbihan in Britanny where PocketMariner’s Captain has personally experienced the very fast tidal flows :-
The free version of SeaNav has demo routes which let you try all the advanced features such as AIS (collision detection), Weather, Wind and Depth displays, Tidal Streams, Augmented Reality and of course the charts for free. New demo routes have been added for France and Australia. The demo route for Australia is from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast:-
You can get SeaNav for iPhone, iPad and Apple Silicon Macs free from the AppStore here now:-
We have downsized the Pocket Mariner test boat from a catamaran cruiser to a catamaran dinghy (Dart 18) and are doing our bit for Net Zero and our ears with an electric outboard.
We chose the Torqeedo 1103C which has slightly more power than an e-Propulsion and also had the benefit of being available rather than on a 6 month back order. It is a revolution compared to a petrol outboard. Totally silent apart from the sound of water flowing past the hull, instant start, no oil or smelly petrol and fumes. A real joy, here is it in action on the river Wye:-
As well as using the test boat for testing our marine navigation apps we got inspired to take the boat to the next level and see if we could automate it and ultimately use SeaNav to control it to follow a SeaNav route.
Two steps:-
A bluetooth LE enabled autohelm attachment to control the outboard direction
Add the bluetooth driver capability to SeaNav and get it to maintain course and change course at Waypoints.
A possible 3rd step is to add a remote throttle control too so we can go fully autonomous!
This article covers step 1.
Step 1. Bluetooth iOS remote for Navico TP5000
Autohelm units are very expensive ( over £400) and none offer remote bluetooth control. We couldn’t find one that supported remote NMEA0183 control either. So we bought a second hand Navico TP5000 unit off eBay and adapted it to support Bluetooth using an Arduino BLE nano33 board and 3 relays attached inside the housing to the switches. The project design, instructions and code is here https://github.com/electricpocket/autopilot. This could also be adapted to control a Raymarine Autohelm unit.
Here is the Navico TP5000 in manual mode attached to the boat and Torqeedo outboard:-
and here is the TP50000 controlled with our iPhone autopilot app:-
Next is to test this on the water and then move on to Step 2…..
You can now view the current and predicted tidal flow rates and directions live on SeaNav’s UK and IE vector charts.
We use the official chart Tidal diamond symbol, rotating it to point in the flow direction. Blue means the rate is decreasing, red and its increasing. The diamonds update in real time on the chart. For planning tap on a tidal diamond to see the rate and direction, tap i for more information and see the rate and direction for the next 3 days on a graph at the bottom of the screen. Slide the time cursor ( or just tap at the time you want ) and all the tidal diamonds in view on the chart update as you adjust it (not just the one you have selected). You can zoom in and out of the graph timeline using pinch gestures. The Tidal Stream information is cached for up to 7 days so will work when you are out. of internet coverage as well.
The new Tidal Stream feature requires SeaNav 5.3 or later and uses official data from the UK Hydrographic Office, updated annually. A current UK & IE chart subscription is required to view the data. We hope to add Tidal Streams for other areas where available if they prove popular ( FR, NL & BE, DE… ). Please email us and let us know.
Boat Beacon can now share its real time AIS feed from our global AIS aerial network via NMEA with other apps on the same device or on the same Wifi Network. Boat Beacon acts as a “Virtual AIS Receiver” with over the horizon coverage and is the first and currently only app out there that offers this.
Boat Beacon’s global realtime AIS coverage.
We hope this will prove popular with folks who already have other Marine Navigation apps/charts like Navionics, iNavX, Aqua Map and OpenCPN etc. which support an external NMEA AIS feed but don’t have their own Internet based AIS network or feed available.
Navionics have worked closely with us on this with their Boating app AIS feature and recommend Boat Beacon in its own category in their Boating app – AIS Devices Compatibility Guide.
The new Boat Beacon AIS Share feature is free to trial. If you find it useful you can use it any time when you are out boating for a small monthly or annual subscription via IAP.
You can get the latest version of Boat Beacon from the Apple App Store here and Google PlayStore here.
By the way, our own top selling marine charts navigation app SeaNav already has AIS built in as standard and if you haven’t tried SeaNav why don’t you give it a spin for free first, you can download it from here now https://apps.apple.com/app/seanav/id857841271 .
Here are some screenshots from Navionics, iNavX and OpenCPN using it.
Navionics connected to Boat Beacon on 127.0.0.1 TCP port 5353
On iOS
On Android
iNavX on same device ( using TCP 127.0.0.1 port 5353 )
Share Boat Beacon’s real time internet AIS feed via NMEA with other apps on your device and on the same Wifi network, like Navionics, OpenCPN on your Mac, iNavX , AquaMap etc. so you can see live ship positions around you on their charts as well. Pocket Mariner’s AIS service is fed by one of the largest network of AIS shore receivers world-wide covering most major ports, harbours and popular coastal areas with over 60,000 live ship positions at any time. Boat Beacon acts like a virtual AIS receiver and can also share your live position via Internet AIS with other users and internet based AIS services like MarineTraffic. After purchasing the Boat Beacon AIS Sharing IAP (monthly or yearly subscriptions available) just set your other apps NMEA TCP settings to connect to the IP address and TCP port (default is 5353) shown in Boat Beacon’s AIS Share setting. If you are sharing with an app on the same device you should use 127.0.0.1 as the IP address to connect to instead of the actual device IP address so you never have to change the setting when you are on a different network. Boat Beacon must be in sailing mode when sharing with other apps on the same device so it can track your position and continually update the live AIS data around you in the background. Tap the SailBoat icon bottom left to enable Sailing mode.In the unlikely event that you need to change the TCP port number in Boat Beacon to another number, tap on the AIS Share setting row and enter it.
On iOS you can try it out at home when there are no boats around your location by putting Boat Beacon into Demo mode ( Settings/Demo mode) first and then set sailing mode. Make sure the other app is showing the same map location as the demo mode is. Make sure to turn sailing and demo mode off when you are done. If Boat Beacon is not displaying any ships around your location then no ships will appear in the other apps either.
On Android get a 3 day free trial to try it out when you sign up for one of the subscription options. You can cancel the subscription at any time and will not be charged anything if you cancel before the end of free trial period.
Get the latest version of Boat Beacon from the App Store from here now and Google PlayStore here.
A red pin will appear with a blue line (route) from the first pin.
You can add as many waypoints as you require and drag and drop the waypoint markers using a long mouse select on them.
Tap the i button on a Waypoint to give it a name ( optional) and view the full lat and long position ( including when you drag and drop it) so you can set its location precisely.
Click on Done when finished and you can then sail the route at any time by pressing Sail. You can also select a previously saved route, Sail it , edit it or export it.
You can add a set of existing waypoints from a spreadsheet following this blog article:-
Here’s our guide on iPhone which also has some relevance to Mac. You can also export/import routes between the iOS SeaNav and Mac SeaNav app and also view them in Google Earth.
You can view the routes at any time by tapping the Navigation tab – there is a Demo route in the Solent included with the app that you can use to play with (tap the i button to view the route details and select Edit Route) :-
SeaNav now has the latest marine vector charts for the whole of Spain including the Balearic Islands and the Spanish North African coast and islands. Available via In App Purchase in our free version of SeaNav and SeaNav UK now.
