Canadian Sailors Get New Safety iPhone App

Sailing Safety App

It was the Canadian Search and Rescue crews who came up with the idea. Obviously they are trying to do themselves out of more rescues than they need – an iPhone App that they hope will keep down the number of sailors who get into trouble. The new iPhone App designed by British Columbia search and rescue crews will help sailors and other boaters stay safe on the water right through this summer.

Developed by Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue (RCM-SAR), the free Safe Boating App has a range of resources to help all boaters with voyage planning, weather, communication, and emergencies.

‘This is a really handy App for the thousands of recreational sailors and boaters in B.C., and its safety information could potentially save lives,’ said RCM-SAR president Jim Lee. ‘It consolidates a lot of information that all boaters should have into a simple one-stop phone application.’

The RCM-SAR Safe Boating App includes:

Voyage planning resources

Tide, current, wind and weather information

Emergency procedures and distress signal information

Emergency radio communication procedures including sample recordings

VHF marine radio channel listings for Canada – Pacific

Contact information for non-emergency vessel assistance

Safety equipment and navigation light requirements

Equipment checklists

Basic maritime collision regulations

Hazard to shipping and tsunami debris reporting using the iPhone’s GPS and camera

Conversion calculator for fueling

‘This App was developed by Adam Hyde, a crew member at our West Vancouver Station who has a passion for boating safety,’ said Lee. ‘We’re excited to share it with the boating community, and we look forward to people using it on board and ashore.’

The RCM-SAR Safe Boating App is available through the iTunes store.

Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue has more than 1,000 volunteers serving 46 communities in British Columbia. It is part of the west coast marine rescue system, providing 24/7 emergency coverage and promoting safe boating.

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle