Routes from other boaters: using Embarca's community without giving away where you moor
When you have just got your licence, what you miss most is someone who has already done what you want to do. Going to a cove without knowing whether you can anchor, whether the bottom is rock, whether the trip is worth it. Embarca's community routes are exactly that: other boaters' outings, really made, on the map.
A case: the first trip to a cove you do not know
Example scenario.
Elena has a five-metre inflatable and a free weekend. She wants to go to a cove she has been told is "easy to get to", but she does not know what "easy" means. She opens Routes, Community and looks at the area: an anchoring outing appears, published by someone with a similar inflatable. She sees the track, the photos placed on the map, the distance, how long it took, the difficulty its author marked and the sea state that day.
From that Elena decides it is a short leg, that there is a point to go around and that with a choppy sea it would not be a good idea. She did not have to ask anyone.
What you see on a route
In Routes, Community you see, on the map and in a list, the routes published in the area you are looking at. There are four kinds: sighting (where someone saw dolphins or pilot whales), fishing, cruise and anchoring. Each route comes with its track, its photos placed on the map, the distance, the duration, the difficulty and the sea state it had. Exploring them is free.
A practical point: if you are thinking about seeing cetaceans, combine this with the watching rules. Someone seeing pilot whales somewhere does not mean they are there today, and you never chase them.
Following a route (Pro)
With Pro you can load someone else's route into the planner and follow it in Navigate, or save it on the phone to open without coverage (it shows up under Planned). That fits well with losing your signal: you download it at home and have it in the middle of the sea.
Publishing your own (Pro)
You publish them from the logbook, with up to six photos. In the trip from Caleta de Vélez to Maro you can see how an outing with photos looks before sharing it. Each photo can be shared on its own, "Panoramio style, but at sea".
Your mooring is not published
The obvious question: if I publish my outings, do they know where I keep the boat? No, and it does not depend on you remembering anything:
- The first and last 300 metres of every route are trimmed, on your phone, before it is sent.
- You publish under an alias, not your name.
- Photos are uploaded without metadata.
- Of the date, only the month shows.
And there is a way out for anything that goes wrong: anyone can report a route, several reports from different people hide it until it is reviewed, and we review it.
Using it with your head
- Someone else's route is not a safety guarantee. What was easy in a flat sea may not be today: check the weather and the chart.
- Check that it fits inside your licence: the community does not know which one you have.
- A cove that suited one inflatable may not suit your boat: draught, bottom, exposure.
Free and Pro
Free: exploring and viewing routes (map, list, track, photos and data). Pro: publishing your own, navigating other people's and saving them offline. The Pro trial lasts 3 outings; payment is one-time with no subscription. Full table on the home page.