Practical Guide to La Rochelle
Click here for a link to some of our lessons from picking up in La Rochelle.
Click here for a link to some of our lessons from picking up in La Rochelle.
AppsWe have set up an iPad pro to use as our boat device and it sits at the nav station. We have one screen with all of the apps and links we use on a regular basis for sailing and navigating. Here are the main ones.
Noforeignland
A website that is now also an amazing, crowd-sourced boat tracking and social network app. Its free, and ad-free. You can set up a profile, follow and message other boats, track your journey, add photos and stories to your journey, and find anything from anchorages to gas bottle refills. It has well structured information and photos showing different locations and services, as well as helpful reviews. The monthly photo comp is hotly contested! 
This app shows both anchorages and marinas, you can use it to book some marinas and if you plug in the details of your yacht you might be able to get an idea of price, although its probably best to call the marina and discuss the rates with them. The downside is that you have to wade through people's reviews to find factual information, and often reviews are Google-translated into English. More recently we have preferred to use the noforeignland website (see above).
This is a handy one to see what boats are around you, or where your mates are, based on AIS. It shows the country of registration and details of each vessel. Its free to set up an account and just add your own boat to your fleet. Shipfinder is another similar app.
Anchor
This app is an anchor alarm which can tell you if you are dragging or not. It takes a bit of getting used to but basically at the moment you drop your anchor you hit the "anchor" button to put a pin in the map exactly where it hits the bottom. Then you decide based on the amount of chain you put out, conditions, boats around you etc what circumference you are safely able to swing through. If you dip outside of this a (very loud!) alarm will go off (particularly if you went for the BOSE upgrade and you are connected to Fusion!). It uses the GPS on your phone so accuracy may vary and it does suck the battery. It can send an email to another phone in case you are not on the boat, but you would need to leave the primary phone (or iPad) on board. It is also quite annoying if you forget that it is on and you take your phone ashore. It will go off in the RIB... We also set the anchor alert on the Garmin chartplotter, which also allows you to set the desired range and alert you if you go outside this. The alarm is not that loud and we haven't yet succeeded in fitting an extra speaker. Volvo Penta Dealer Locator
This one came in pretty handy to find a service agent for our first engine service that is recommended at between 40-60 hours. It's basically to change the oil for the engine and transmission and check everything. Finding someone close to a marina in a town that is on your way to where you are going to be when you think you will have used the engines for that time can be a challenge. This app shows you your options and helps plan and make contact in advance. Probably best if you plan to stay in a marina and the staff will help you coordinate with the workshop. Active Captain
This is Garmin's app and it is great for planning on the chart. You need to download your registered maps through the app when you are online. You can also open .gpx files with the app and import them into your chartplotter. Its possible to view and control the helm from it as well (and freak out the person on watch...) Importantly though you can do your software updates using the app. Put a blank SD card into the card reader on the Garmin at the helm, connect the app to the internet to download the software updates, then connect the app to the helm station and download the updates. Sometimes we have trouble connecting the ipad to the system's wifi, but have found that changing the wifi channel can help. VictronConnect
Our battery monitor has a blue tooth function that will allow you to monitor your battery state from your iPhone or iPad. Very handy to look at first thing in the morning after being at anchor overnight. Since upgrading to Lithium we now have the Cerbo-GX with touch screen display at the nav station, but it is still useful to consult the apps if you are at the helm. VictronToolkit Another Victron App which tells you what the sequence of LED flashing lights on your controller mean. That is helpful, however even once you know that you have a "temperature sensor error" you still don't know what to do about it or what it means... |
WebsitesNoonsite is our go-to website for official information about entrance and exit formalities. It is updated regularly with information from official sources. Whilst you might find that the rules are applied a little differently when you actually arrive, this is really the best starting point. There are also alot of great articles about the cruising destinations and general information about different countries. You can create a login so you can add comments and subscribe to give access to greater level of content.
Sailing Yacht Eight (Skipper Robert Verboon) is Saona owner and an amazing engineer. We were fortunate to meet him and his lovely wife Luuke in Bonaire in 2022. His website has some incredible technical information which has been very useful in designing backup systems and handy modifications. BlogsWe enjoy following SV Starry Horizons on their world tour in their Helia 44. Out Chasing Stars is a great source of information and great to share Amy and David's knowledge and travels. Their boat projects are also well documented and usually very clever.
Ana and John on SV The Dream, who we met in Tunisia, have been a great source of information particularly on formalities of checking in and checking out of various locations and countries. If you have a dog you must follow these guys. Everyone has a different experience of cruising. Shelley and Jill (SV Eucalyptus) were relative novices when they started out. They have taken a leap of faith to follow their dreams and their insights give a fresh perspective on cruising life. Sailing Yacht Eight has some a great website with excellent technical resources capturing those handy "boat jobs" we all love so much! Facebook GroupsThere are endless facebook groups, many of which are location based. Some a regional, some are just based around one island or country. In some locations there are specific Buy/swap/sell groups in addition to the information sharing groups. Some are moderated better than others. We have tended to join various groups as we approach an area (the FB algorithm kindly suggests related groups) and then leave the group as we leave the region/country). Some of the more active and useful ones are here:
Women who sail (the Med/Australia etc) A women's only group where women can ask questions and share information in a safe and supportive environment. After joining the main WWS group you can then join locality based groups. Med Sailing General group where people ask for recommendations and offer information about anchorages, scams, technical stuff, bureaucracy etc. Aussies and Kiwi sailors in the Med Similar to the above but also making social connections with the like minded Antipodeans. This is a very active group as there are lots of Aussies and Kiwis in the med. Fountaine Pajot Owners Forum / Helia owners forum Some great sharing of tips, tricks, hacks and advice on how other owners have set up and managed their yachts. As we have encountered problems, like failed throttles or a snapped bridle, we have consulted these groups and almost always found an answer. They are also quick to respond when you reach out with something "new". |
