A large number of apps have been developed for sailors. Here are links to reviews of many of the best of them, along with related information.
Navigation and Charting Apps
Many navigation and charting apps are available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and Android devices. Here are key ones you should consider:
Apps for Apple Devices
Pocket Nav is my favorite navigational app using raster charts (free from NOAA).
Charts and Tides is an inexpensive app that comes with American vector charts built in, along with the ActiveCaptain Cruising Guidebook.
The Navionics Marine and Lakes app is popular with many sailors.
iSailor is a newer player in the game.
Apps for Android Devices
Memory-Map has the fullest navigating features for Android devices.
MX Mariner is another fine app using raster charts.
Navionics Marine & Lakes has some interesting features and uses vector charts.
Two free Android apps (initially free, at least) are Marine Charts Lite and Marine Charts HD and NutiCharts Lite, but I cannot recommend either for much use on the water.
Here's a comparison of 5 Android apps for boat charts and navigation to help you choose the one best for you.
Laptop Chartplotters
Although not an app but free chartplotter software for laptops, OpenCPN is simply a great navigational program.
Apps for Weather
The MarineCast weather app for boaters provides a wealth of information about present and forecast conditions.
The Wind NOAA app provides a quick snapshot of wind information for your area.
The free version of the PredictWind app for both Apple and Android devices is a good choice for planning for local weather conditions.
Be cautious about using the Marine Weather Right Now app.
Apps for Tides
AyeTides is probably the best general-purpose tide app.
Tides Planner 10 and Tide Graph are two more tide apps.
The Tidal Chronoscope app looks like a classic tide watch.
Sailing/Boating Reference Apps
Another nice app to have at hand when sailing is the Boater's Pocket Reference app, which provides a ton of information.
Nautical Chart Symbols is an app that tells what many chart symbols and abbreviations mean.
Sailing Educational Apps
Points of Sail is a simple app for teaching sailing terms and sail positions for points of sail.
SailSim is a more useful app for learning about how the sails and other sailing aspects vary according to wind and point of sail.
History of Sailing is much more than just about history - it provides a basic introduction to many sailing topics for those wanting to learn the fundamentals.
Stay away from the Nautical Books app, which just wants your money for books you can get free - read the review to learn how.
Sailing Game Apps
Tall Ships Age of Sail is a fun naval battle game with some historical and sailing realism.
Sailboat Championship PRO is a sailboat racing game for iPhone and iPad that has some nice touches.
3D Sailing Simulator Regatta is a better sailboat racing game for Android devices.
Little Sailor is the best sailing simulator and racing game for Apple devices.
GPS and Hardware for Apps
If you need a waterproof case for your iPhone or want to add a GPS to your iPod Touch for using navigation apps, check out the Magellan ToughCase.
The Dual XGPS150 Universal Bluetooth GPS Receiver can be used with an iPod Touch or iPad (or Android smart phone or laptop) to provide a GPS location for navigation apps.
