Here are two apps for learning something about sailing: how the sails are positioned when the boat is at different angles to the wind (Points of Sail and SailSim) and how that affects boat speed and other factors (SailSim only). Both have some value for people just learning how to sail but after a few minutes of playing around don't offer much more to experienced sailors except to explain these matters to landlubbers who come aboard their boat.
Points of Sail
- Version reviewed: 1.3 for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, $0.99
- Not available for Android
SailSim
- Version reviewed: 3.0.2 for iPhone and iPod Touch, $0.99
- SailSim XL for iPad, $1.99, not reviewed but looks similar
- Not available for Android
Points of Sail
This app does only one thing (see photo above). As you move the iDevice around, the wind rotates to various angles in relation to the fixed boat image. As the wind direction changes, the sails move in or out to the appropriate positions, and the label indicating the point of sail changes: in irons, close hauled, close reach, beam reach, broad reach, and running.
That's it. This is the only screen. It does help neophytes learn general principles of sail trim and the correct terms for points of sail - but that's it. If you were teaching new students in a classroom setting (and had a way to project the small iDevice screen for the class to see), this would be useful for a few minutes while you talked about points of sail and how sails work.
On the other hand, you could teach the same thing more satisfyingly by getting your students on the boat and actually sailing different points of sail. Maybe in that case you could make the general principle clear using the Points of Sail app in about a minute in the cockpit before the first sail trim. But don't expect much more value from it.
Go to the next page for the more feature-rich app SailSim.
