Hilton Head Island: iSailor lives; another outboard; a poem for this and all seasons

A few weeks ago I heard a rumor that iSailor, my choice of chartplotting apps, had gone out of business, so I opened the app and tried to reach its chart store without success.  This was a significant disappointment.  The app itself and the charts I already have on my devices—iPad Pro, iPad mini, iPhone—are still useable, but I only learned of iSailor in Durban, South Africa, and so there are parts of the world I might someday sail of which I do not have iSailor charts.  I do have them in iNavX, but iNavX limits you to only two activations and I have used mine.

I considered alternatives and downloaded the C-Map and Navionics apps.  One of those—I think it was C-Map—required me to buy a subscription before even opening the app, and the other, Navionics which apparently now belongs to Garmin, was far from intuitive.

I had pretty much decided to go with what I already have from iSailor and iNavX, buying additional charts from iNavX as necessary.  

iNavX no longer carries Navionics charts, but has gone to its own propriety charts, some of which are very expensive and still can be activated only twice.  One of the advantages of iSailor is that once you buy charts from them you can download the charts as many times as you wish to as many devices as you wish.

Both iSailor and iNavX do everything I want from a chartplotting app and considerably more.  My needs are simple:  position, speed, heading, set waypoints, bearing and distance to waypoints and other objects.

I had intended to write this journal post about the end of iSailor, but yesterday I made one last attempt to reach their chart store and to my pleasant surprise I succeeded.  As a test I tried to buy and download their chart folio of New Zealand to my iPad Pro.  It worked.  I then downloaded that folio to my iPhone and to my iPad mini.  All good.  So I proceeded to buy charts of other areas, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere and Canada where I might possibly someday sail.  It all worked.  I now have the world covered on all three devices.

When you buy charts from iSailor or iNavX you are paying for a subscription that automatically renews after one year when you will again be charged the full original price and be provided with the latest updates.  I routinely go to the app store as soon as I have bought charts and cancel the auto-renewal.  However the folio for my local waters covering the coast from Norfolk, Virginia, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, only costs $4.59 from iSailor.  I want them to stay in business, so I have generously not cancelled the subscription and will pay them $4.59 a year.

The total cost of the charts I bought yesterday came to less than $100 and includes charts of the Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, the entire South Pacific Ocean, Newfoundland and  Nova Scotia.  A bargain.

I noticed that all the charts in the iSailor chart store show an issue date of 10/8/23.  The company was based in Russia.  I have read that it may have relocated elsewhere.  I hope they stay in business, but even if they don’t, I’m set.

I thank Michael for a link to another electric outboard similar to the Remigo mentioned a few days ago.  This one is from France and is more expensive than the Remigo.  Also it seems have limited availability.  I do not know which outboard came first.

I like these designs.

https://www.temofrance.com/en_GB/temo-1000

I thought I had posted this poem, which comes from the BEING ALIVE anthology, but in checking past posts don’t see it.  If I have, it is worth reading again.

I wish you and all close to you a happy holiday season and a splendid new year.