We have just introduced a more convenient position reporting page. It takes advantage of the built-in GPS in many of todays tablets such as the iPad and provides instant feedback about the position you enter, even when reporting manually.

It’s use is mostly self-explanatory, but to get the most out of its features, below are a some of its highlights:

The Update button appears when an automatic position is available, tap it to transfer that position to the Lat-Lon form.

The Green Marker represents the position in the Lat-Lon form. The marker may be moved manually to refine the Lat-Lon form values.

The Geo (Arrow) button appears when an automatic position is available. Tap it to zoom and centre on that position (marked by a blue dot)./skp/

The Marker button appears when there is a Lat-Lon value in the form. Tap it to zoom and centre the marker.

[...]

Hobart Skipr Meetup 

New Reporting page

Alternative ways to report your position

Off the beaten track

Support Skipr.net

In this newsletter:

The 2013 version of Skipr.net – apply to become a tester
The Passage Companion – save $$$ on key cruising guides
In the Flesh – meeting up with Skipr’d crews
Join Skipr Plus – helping Skipr expand and evolve
Cruising in Company – Island Cruising Association seminars [...]

This year, we’ve been showcasing a boat on our front page every month, showing the wide range of activities by Skipr.net users. This month, I felt it was time for the “bigger picture”, highlighting all Skipr.net users, rather than just focussing on one boat and its adventures.

It’s  terrific to see Skipr.net expand to hundreds of boats, reporting back to friends and family across an area covering Australia, South Asia and the Western Pacific. Not forgetting users elsewhere… With lots of stories, it is great to follow so many of you! And of course I would encourage anyone to occasionally use the map’s zoom controls and click on a random boat on our Currently Cruising page and share the experience of others.

Fair Winds to all,

Marius (skipper@skipr.net)

In this newsletter:

Latest Cruising guides for Eastern Australlia (and how to buy them…)
Tips and Tricks to make the most of Skipr
Campers and Drivers – Skipr for landlubbers.
Cruising in Company – Island Cruising Association
Join Skipr Plus
In case you didn’t catch up… [...]

It’s been a while since we’ve had a newsletter for users of Skipr.net. A bunch of things have happened since we “spoke” last. For most of you, this will be the first newsletter, as we’ve more than doubled the number of boats on Skipr.net since the last one!

In this Newsletter:

Skipr Plus
New Features
Boat Photo competition
Notable Tracks
Island Cruising

[...]

Over the past couple of years, Skipr.net has developed into a service which is valued by an ever increasing number of boat owners, their friends and family. Since this time last year, we’ve doubled the number of registered users, introduced the first version of our Smartphone/iPhone App, built more social features into the boat pages and implemented many “under the hood” enhancements.

Skipr.net has been a ‘labour of love’ since 2005 and the plan is to continue to expand its reach and functionality. While we feature some advertising and sponsorships (thank you, Boat Books), we now need profesional assistance with the website, which is beyond what we can afford with only modest advertising income. So we’ve been considering various options for getting funds to invest in the further development of Skipr.net.

After much deliberation, we have decided to:

• Continue to offer use of Skipr.net for free, we want to be open to all comers.
• Implement a Skipr Plus programme with additional benefits for those who are willing to contribute to the continued operation of Skipr.net
• Offer special for-a-fee functionality for clubs who run special cruise events.

[This is the online version of an article in the May 2011 issue of the Mainsheet, the monthly magazine of the Coastal cruising Club of Australia. This month it is a bit self-referential, but I thought I'd put it up here anyway - MC]

This month, we’ll take a look at skipr.net [1], a Website which some friends and I especially built for cruising sailors, their friends and family.

Skipr was originally conceived on a cruise to Hobart (on Belage, the yacht of CCCA member Peter Style) in 2006. A friend had helped me build a Google map which showed the boat’s position. Having Internet access on board made it practical to build a Web based service which let others know where you were and what was happening along the way.

Today, it has matured into a popular service for cruising sailors who like to keep in touch with family and friends. I’m keen to “fold” that experience back into the Coastal Cruising Club. For those who haven’t used it, here is a quick overview of how you can have your boat displayed on the site: [...]

We’re rolling out some new features today.
Rather than needing a username (and to remember it), we’re now doing log-ins with your email address. One thing less to remember.

Default Boat Page

And we’ve re-designed the boat pages, to provide a more compact layout, and importantly to allow for a picture and description of your boat.

The last 10 position reports now appear to the left of the map and the date display control is now above the map. [...]

This weekend we launched a re-design of the skipr.net website.  We’ve overhauled its user interface and laid the foundations for a range of new features to help cruising sailors and everyone else  interested in the tracking the movement of recreational vessels. This post describes a few of the new features. [...]