SailClever? Sure looks it.

SailClever_current_leg_screen2SailClever is a new kid in the sailboat racing tactical software niche, and it looks clever indeed. According to the developers, the Windows Mobile PDA screen at right “shows one of the main screens you would use while racing.  It has an arrow to show where the mark is, a pointer to show the direction of current relative to the boat, navigational numbers along the top and then a bar along the bottom that shows what side of the beat you are on and your tacking angle (Downwind it shows gybe angles and reaching it shows cross track error).  Pressing the menu button allows you quickly access a number of other screens that give you information on your speed relative to your polars, what the next leg is, what sail you should be using, wind direction and a basic chart.”
   The SailClever software will do a lot more than that, as well illustrated on its web demo pages. It can purchased alone or with a neat-looking Datasoft RS-232 Bluetooth dongle for connecting to NMEA 0183 ports wirelessly. SailClever also offers an extremely rugged TDS Nomad PDA that’s probably way out of your price range, but do enjoy the stress test video. SailClever claims compatibility with several instrument systems—sometimes two-way, as with TackTick—which distinguishes it from the higher end Ockam Eye PDA software, I think. But note that a few of its features are available in iNavX (don’t miss Gram’s latest), Memory Map, and probably some other PDA/Smart-phone apps you’ll tell me about.

Ben Ellison

Ben Ellison

Panbo editor, publisher & chief bottlewasher from 4/2005 until 8/2018, and now pleased to have Ben Stein as a very able publisher, webmaster, and editing colleague. Please don't regard him as an "expert"; he's getting quite old and thinks that "fadiddling fumble-putz" is a more accurate description.

1 Response

  1. Dan (b393capt) says:

    Very Clever indeed. This should be a hot product pretty quick. Perhaps a version of this could also be handy for cruising sailboats, althought with a different screen presentation.
    Surely we are going to look back on 2008 as the year of the PDA in boating.
    Especially, in combination with Active Captain and the many other applications of the PDA to boating Jeff Siegel has exposed us too (Thanks Jeff !), I could see it being a no brainer to get a PDA just for the boat.

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