Anchors, windlasses, chartplotters and what to trust to watch the boat.
9 articles
The anchor alarm apps worth considering — what each one costs, which platforms it runs on and what it is actually called in the App Store, since several are easier to find by their listing name than their brand. Includes the one everybody searches for that turns out not to be an anchor alarm at all. One of the five is ours, and it says so.
August 25, 2026
You don't need thirty apps — you need one great app for each job at sea. The essential toolkit organised by job: charts, weather, anchorages, anchor alarm, tides, AIS, routing, trip logging, the boat's maintenance records and safety tracking. Two of the eleven are ours, and they are marked.
August 24, 2026
The anchor watch is a duty, not a device — and a GPS app is just another way of keeping it. Where a phone beats a human watchkeeper (attention that does not fade, position instead of guesswork, an alert that reaches a sleeping crew), where it is no use at all (weather, the neighbour dragging down on you, a chafing snubber), and how to set the watch so it is worth trusting.
August 17, 2026
Garmin, Raymarine and B&G chartplotters all ship an anchor alarm — so is a phone app redundant? Where each plotter hides the setting, why the alarm circle is centred on the boat instead of the anchor, and the primary-plus-backup setup most cruisers run.
July 12, 2026
The Navionics Boating app has no built-in anchor alarm — the Anchor Drag alarm people search for lives on Garmin chartplotters. Where the confusion comes from, why the track workaround can't wake you, and the chart-app + alarm-app setup most cruisers run.
July 11, 2026
See your anchor safe radius and distance from the anchor right on your Apple Watch. How a wrist-based anchor alarm works, how to read it at 3 a.m., and why it's the quietest way to keep watch overnight.
July 2, 2026
How accurate is phone GPS for anchor monitoring? Understand the difference between harmless GPS drift and real dragging, why anchor alarms false-trigger, and how to set your alarm radius so it only wakes you when it matters.
June 30, 2026
Complete guide to boat anchor types including Rocna, Mantus, Danforth, Bruce, Delta, Spade, grapnel, and traditional anchors. Learn which anchor is best for your boat with expert comparisons, sizing charts, and performance data.
February 26, 2026
Discover which anchor types perform best in sand, mud, and rock bottoms. Expert comparison of Rocna, Mantus, CQR, Danforth, Bruce, and grapnel anchors with real-world performance data.
February 25, 2026