The basic rule is that as the boat driver or person responsible for course and speed, you must always follow the instructions of the bridge supervisor.

When approaching a moving bridge, the boat must slow down. If it is desired to open the bridges, two long tones must be emitted as a signal. As long as no clearance for passage has been given, a distance of at least 50 meters from the bridge must be maintained (unless another distance is specified). If no passage is desired, the boat must be moored on the bank in front of sign B.5.

Furthermore, when approaching a movable bridge, overtaking is prohibited without special permission.

If the bridge is equipped with signal lights, the following regulations apply:

• Two red lights on top of each other = no passage (bridge closed)

• Three red lights next to each other = no passage (bridge closed and temporarily not open)

• Two red lights next to each other = no passage (bridge closed, or oncoming traffic)

• One red light = no passage (bridge is in motion)

• Two green lights next to each other = passage permitted (bridge open)

With an additional white light above the other signal lights, a watercraft may also pass through the closed bridge, taking into account the height and oncoming traffic.

The light signals are only ever visible in the direction of passage.

Der Beitrag How to handle drawbridges correctly erschien zuerst auf NavShip Boat Routing.

These separations are often found in places where traffic is particularly narrow and there is a high risk of collision. Well-known examples are the English Canal or the German Bight.

In a way, such areas are constructed like a highway with separate lanes and a separation zone in the middle. The respective routes may only be used on the right-hand side of the separation zone.

You can find the exact regulations for driving in these areas in the Collision Prevention Regulations.

The general rule is:

If possible, you should enter at the ends of the one-way lane. If you enter from the side via the outer boundary line, you should do so at as small an angle as possible to the general direction of traffic.

Crossing a traffic separation scheme should be avoided wherever possible. In the event of a crossing, this should be carried out with the keel direction at right angles to the general direction of traffic. With wind and current, this may mean that the course over ground is not exactly at right angles to the direction of traffic.

If a crossing power-driven vessel coming from starboard crosses the course of a power-driven vessel on a one-way route in a traffic separation scheme, the power-driven vessel must take evasive action on the one-way route. The normal evasion rules therefore apply (starboard before port).

Sailing vessels and vessels less than 20 m in length must not endanger the passage of an engine-powered vessel following the one-way lane. The risk of collision should be reduced by sailing on the outer right-hand edge. If a collision is nevertheless imminent, the general rules of evasion apply, i.e. starboard before port.

Der Beitrag Good to know – Driving and crossing traffic separation zones erschien zuerst auf NavShip Boat Routing.

Basically, possible scenarios can be divided into several categories. These include medical emergencies, person(s) overboard, a fire on board or even unwanted water ingress.

Medical emergencies can be very diverse. Whether on the water or on land – a regular refresher course in first aid never hurts anyone. A plaster, a bandage or reassuring encouragement is often enough as a first action in the event of an accident. The more confident you are with the materials in your first aid kit, the better you will be able to help in an emergency. Of course, the material must always be complete and the expiration date must be checked regularly. There are also special providers who specialize in survival at sea. These courses provide more detailed information on the special features to be observed on the water.

In the event of a “person overboard” situation, the following points must be observed:

It is essential that visual contact with the person overboard is not lost. The ship must be stopped and turned around. Rescue equipment in the form of a throwing line or a lifebuoy must be thrown into the water as quickly as possible. Use the POB button (formerly MOB) on your GPS device and make an emergency call.

In the event of a fire, all crew members must be warned of the danger immediately. If possible, the fire should be extinguished as soon as it starts. All persons on board must assemble on deck and an emergency call must be made immediately. As in a medical emergency, it is important to be familiar with the rescue equipment. In this case, these are primarily the fire extinguishers. Appropriate training and regular refresher courses are definitely advisable. Anyone who is familiar with the use of such an extinguisher in an emergency will usually remain more relaxed and react appropriately. Regular maintenance of the extinguishers is also essential.

In the event of a fire, the element of water can be an important helper in averting the danger. However, in the event of uncontrolled water ingress, water is a major hazard and every minute counts. Depending on the size of the crew, it may make sense to divide tasks among each other. This could include, for example, searching for leaks, starting the engine and bilge pump and making an emergency call.

It therefore makes sense to always have a clean bilge and to be aware of all outboard outlets. For your own sake, regularly check valves, hose clamps and all connections that could lead to unwanted water ingress. The inventory on board should therefore always include suitable leak plugs, sealant, an alarm and, for example, underwater epoxy resin.

Statistically speaking, such incidents on the water are rather rare, but you should always be prepared for them for your own safety. It therefore only hurts to go through such cases together in theory so that everyone knows what to do in an emergency. In an emergency, there is usually hardly any time to think.

Your NavShip team

Der Beitrag SOS – be prepared for an emergency erschien zuerst auf NavShip Boat Routing.

Some of you may be wondering what VDES actually is. Translated, this means “VHF Data Exchange System”. Like the well-known AIS, the system is used to provide bandwidth for digital exchange on the water. This system is mainly used by the military or research institutions, for example.

However, the changes from 01.01.2024 will also affect many amateur skippers, as it has been decided that some of the radio channels (simplex and duplex) may no longer be used from the beginning of this year. In future, these can only be used for the VDES system.

The following channels are affected by this:

24 to 28 + 84 to 86 and the 96

Radioing without the appropriate license is a criminal offence and will be severely punished accordingly.

Both marine radio and inland operation are affected.

Many manufacturers offer corresponding updates for the radios. Please contact the relevant provider for more information.

Your NavShip team

^{Source: https://www.enjoy-yachting.de/ab-dem-1-1-2024-vdes-kommt-im-sprechfunk/}

Der Beitrag Major changes to radiotelephony due to VDES! erschien zuerst auf NavShip Boat Routing.

In any case, the NavShip team can really look forward to experiencing the coming season on the water with you. Over the past weeks and months, we have been working hard to optimize the app to provide you with the best possible tool. Thousands of kilometers of waterways have been newly recorded, existing material has been optimized and the app has been continuously improved technically.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our community once again. Your regular feedback makes it possible for us to continue to develop and improve every day. Hence our request for this year: if you notice any errors or inconsistencies in the app, please feel free to report them at any time to support@navship.org. Our team will deal with any concerns as quickly as possible.

So now it’s your turn – what functions are you still missing in the app / what can be improved? Feel free to send us an email or let us know in the comments. We would also like to know whether you already have vacation plans and which destinations are on your agenda. We are curious!

Your NavShip team

Der Beitrag We are ready for the season 2024! erschien zuerst auf NavShip Boat Routing.

2016

Simple design, few rivers. NavShip was still developing in 2016. Many more rivers were quickly added, and later coastal areas and lakes, which could also be navigated as the crow flies using a special algorithm.

Germany in particular was the focus in the first few months. By the way, the first river was the Main, followed by the Rhine. This was primarily for personal reasons. This was followed by rivers suggested by the Boats Forum community. The contributions can be found here.

On July 19, 2016, version 1.0 was released in the Play Store for Android.

2017

A year later, numerous functions such as water levels, wind and weather data and gas stations near the water were added. The algorithms have been optimized to enable even better route calculation. At the end of 2017, an estimated 90% of waterways in Europe had been implemented.

After the app was free for almost a year during development, the first subscriptions were introduced in April 2017 to finance the project.

In June 2017, the iOS app was released in the Apple App Store. Under similarly fair conditions as the Android app, the iOS app was also offered free to everyone in the first year.

2018

Visually, little has changed in the Android and iOS versions compared to last year.

Many new channels were added and North America was covered – initially only sporadically.

In June 2018, NavShip installations of Android and iOS exceeded 100,000.

A depth line recording project was started, but it is still making difficult progress. An AIS integration was also planned, which – hopefully – can be completed in 2019.

In addition to the mobile apps, Boatrouting.com is launching a free web app that allows you to plan and view boat routes on your PC.

Beiboot.org, a small social network where people can meet for trips, is launching at the same time.

2019

Visually, a little has changed again. Layouts have been optimized for many devices, voice output has been added and the last teething problems have been eliminated. An estimated 95% of water bodies in Europe and North America are now covered. One or two missing locks or side channels are added every week.

The web app has also changed a lot visually, is still free and routes can be transferred from the PC to the smartphone apps after prior registration.

However, the community project for special points of interest (such as marinas, boat slips, etc.) will not be further developed for the time being, as the amount of data is still far from sufficient to offer users a good experience in the app. The dinghy project was also suspended because the number of users here was also insufficient.

2020

Most people will generally remember the year 2020 with a bitter aftertaste. Uncertainties as to whether a port is even open during the Corona crisis or whether you are even allowed to travel by boat in your area.

This year saw the biggest step in the company’s history: NavShip became part of the newly founded CproSoft GmbH and, for the first time, employees were hired to provide support and data capture. We have started to record the previously recorded areas even more precisely and have integrated many functions that were requested by users. Among other things, the graphical representation of water levels, the better integration of messages for inland shipping, more precise wind and weather data and the consideration of the flow of rivers in the route length.

2021

We have further refined the foundations already laid in 2020 and expanded support even further. Thanks to our marketing staff, we were able to be much more productive and publish more posts.

Graphically, we have updated the app and integrated a cleaner design. Especially with iOS, we have replaced many of our own components with the system components, so that well-known gestures can now be used, e.g. to open menus.

With account management, it was now possible to supply all of your devices with the purchased premium version – regardless of the platform. We installed Marrekrite berths, released the integration for smartwatches and broke the 500,000 user mark for the first time in May 2021.

2022

In 2022 we have improved the offshore routing so that lakes are now also taken into account as the crow flies and additional coastal areas and bays are recorded.

In the iOS version, the person overboard function can be found for the first time in order to further increase safety on the water. The first depth data is available selectively, but is still in beta mode.

The boat routing website has been redesigned so that NavShip Web now runs smoothly on Mac and PC. In addition, the first Mac app was loaded into the store so that NavShip can be used directly as an app on newer Macbooks.

There are now eight different types of boats to choose from, including various motorboats, rowing boats, canoes and sailing boats. The choice of boat is included in the route and, for example, a warning is issued if you enter a prohibited area with a motorboat.

2023

With the new boat routing web app and the new route system, routes can now be planned at lightning speed. The route is calculated on our server, so there is no longer any need to select driving areas.

The features we have integrated include the mileage display, slip ramp display and connection to the Apple Watch.

In addition to Lake Constance and Masuria, we have revised many areas. The depth data map is now available in North America and the BPR is now available in the Netherlands, which must be carried. The biggest feature we have integrated is cruising and water filling stations, and tide information is now also available.

In terms of design, we have now brought the app up to date and we now also display images for many markers.

Feedback still remains important. Every day countless emails reach the NavShip inbox with new feature ideas. Unfortunately, not everything can be implemented, but I remain committed to designing the app in such a way that everyone (or almost everyone) is happy.

Here’s to a few more beautiful years on and by the water.

Chris

Der Beitrag The Evolution of NavShip erschien zuerst auf NavShip Boat Routing.