Start Sailing vs SailWatcher
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Start Sailing
An illustrated guide for novice sailors, offering tips on yacht crewing, navigation, and safety. Learn essential boating terms and test your knowledge with quizzes. Perfect for preparing for a sailing holiday or gaining confidence on board.
- Illustrated reference guide
- Yacht crewing skills
- Basic navigation
- Safety at sea
- Boating terms explained
- Knowledge quiz section
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Start Sailing: Yachts is an illustrated reference guide for novice sailors who want to have all the essential information to hand, become a useful crew member and build confidence aboard a sailing yacht. Also perfect for sailing schools, the app provides novice sailors with a clear, illustrated learning resource to support practical instruction both ashore and afloat. With more than 100 expert illustrations, the app puts clear, practical information at your fingertips. Learn the parts of a yacht, essential crewing skills, basic navigation and safety at sea, then test your knowledge with quizzes. KEY FEATURES • More than 100 expert illustrations • Clear, practical guidance for novice sailors • Quick access to useful information • Save useful pages to Favourites • Test Yourself online quizzes to support learning • Search to find topics faster • Share app directly with friends • Works offline, so essential information is always with you >>> FULL APP — AD FREE | NO IN-APP PURCHASES | NO SUBSCRIPTION SEVEN MAIN SECTIONS KIT BAG What to bring, clothing, wet-weather gear, toiletries and medication, plus useful gear and gadgets. THE YACHT Parts of the boat, sails, ropes, electrics and using a tender. LIFE ABOARD Living below decks, fresh water, cooking and keeping the yacht tidy. CREWING Keeping watch, crewing skills, essential knots, winches, arriving at and leaving a berth, helming, hoisting sails, points of sail, tacking, gybing, anchoring and more. NAVIGATING Paper and electronic charts, passage planning, pilotage, ColRegs, weather forecasts and tides. SAFETY Lifejackets, first aid, man overboard drill and fire prevention. BOAT WORDS Plain-English explanations of boating terms you may encounter. WHAT’S NEW IN THIS VERSION This update makes Start Sailing: Yachts quicker and easier to use: • Fresh, easy-to-navigate design • Quick access to key sections and Test Yourself quizzes • Search to find information faster • Save useful pages to Favourites for quick reference • Share helpful pages with friends • Improved access to online test quizzes • Reliable offline access to essential sailing information Whether you are preparing for a sailing holiday, joining friends for a short break afloat or simply want to understand what happens aboard, knowing the basics before you go can make the experience safer and more enjoyable. Start Sailing: Yachts helps new sailors move from passenger to active crew member, with practical guidance that is easy to understand and quick to find when needed. Thank you for choosing Start Sailing: Yachts. Have fun afloat.
SailWatcher
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SailWatcher is the perfect app for all sailing and boating lovers. Whether you are an expert or a beginner enthusiast, this app will help you plan, monitor and live your adventures at sea to the fullest. Key features: - Track course and key points: While sailing, SailWatcher records the boat's GPS position and that of the points where the shots were taken to retrieve parameters - Practical and fast: To perform the analysis, simply take a shot, select the areas of interest and finally the LUFF. - Share: Once the parameters are calculated, you can share all the information, including the photo and personal notes, by generating a unique URL. - SailWatcher Engine: An algorithm has been developed that, requiring only a few pieces of information from the user, identifies and evaluates the sail's shape lines, returning draft, camber, twist, entry and exit angle. Thanks to an intuitive interface and advanced features, SailWatcher allows you to focus on what you love most: sailing. The app is designed to offer you all the information you need, right in the palm of your hand. Download SailWatcher today and take your passion for sailing to a higher level! --- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - Which parameters does it calculate? SailWatcher calculates the following parameters: camber, draft, twist angle, entry angle, exit angle. It also saves the boat's speed at the moment the photo is taken. - Does it work on every sail? SailWatcher calculates the parameters of all sails with highlighted shape lines. If your sails have visible shape lines, you can use SailWatcher. - Is an internet connection required? SailWatcher is designed to be used on the open sea; it does not require an internet connection, except for some secondary functions (e.g. sharing). - Can I share the obtained data? Yes, via a unique URL. The web page will contain the photo, the shape lines with their parameters, additional data (wind speed, ...) and additional notes entered by the user. - Why can't I retrieve the data? SailWatcher performs a series of calculations to identify shape lines. If you can't retrieve the data for your sail, let us know by email. We will analyze the case and improve the algorithm so that it also identifies your sail.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SailWatcher at Free against Start Sailing's $2.99. On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
SailWatcher is free to download; Start Sailing costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Start Sailing | SailWatcher |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 52 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | The Other Hat | Deploynk srl |
In-app purchases
Start Sailing
No in-app purchases
SailWatcher
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Start Sailing free?
Is SailWatcher free?
Do Start Sailing or SailWatcher have ads?
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