Yachtara
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Navigation and Safety Notice

Read this before using weather, routing, maps, offline packages or anchor watch.

Last updated: 25 August 2026

1. Yachtara is supplementary

Yachtara is a planning, organisation and situational-awareness aid. It is not:

  • a certified marine navigation system or ECDIS;
  • an official nautical chart or publication;
  • a collision-avoidance system;
  • a substitute for radar, AIS, depth sounder, visual lookout or proper watchkeeping;
  • a professional weather-routing, pilotage or hydrographic service;
  • a remotely monitored anchor alarm;
  • a GMDSS service, EPIRB, PLB, VHF radio or distress beacon; or
  • an emergency, search-and-rescue or coastguard service.

The skipper and vessel operator remain responsible for the vessel, route, navigation, crew, equipment, watchkeeping and compliance with law.

2. Use official and current sources

Always use current official nautical charts and publications, Notices to Mariners, local navigation warnings, tide and current information, official forecasts and warnings, and information required by the authorities for the relevant waters.

Verify Yachtara information against observations and independent sources. A layer displayed on a map does not establish that it is complete, current or suitable for navigation.

3. Weather and forecast uncertainty

Forecasts are model outputs, not observations of the future. Different models can disagree, and all models can miss local squalls, thunderstorms, acceleration zones, sea-state effects, fronts, fog, currents and rapidly developing conditions.

Data may be delayed, unavailable, corrupted, resampled, simplified or incorrectly displayed. Source issue time, forecast valid time and last refresh are different concepts and should be shown distinctly.

Do not depart, continue or alter a passage solely because Yachtara shows favourable conditions. Consider the vessel, crew, equipment, alternatives, safe havens and the consequences if the forecast is wrong.

4. Routing limitations

A route generated by Yachtara is a computational suggestion based on available forecast data, currents, settings and vessel-performance information. It does not verify:

  • charted or uncharted hazards;
  • safe depth, under-keel clearance or tidal windows;
  • bridge, cable, lock or air-draft restrictions;
  • traffic-separation rules, exclusion zones, permits or local regulations;
  • the effect of waves, breaking seas, visibility, icing or severe weather;
  • vessel condition, crew capability, fatigue, medical limitations or provisioning;
  • whether a waypoint lies on navigable water at the relevant chart scale; or
  • whether third-party map or coastline data is suitable for marine navigation.

The user must inspect every route and waypoint against official charts and constraints before use. Maintain safe margins and viable alternatives. Never connect Yachtara output directly to an autopilot or physical vessel control unless Yachtara expressly releases and certifies a feature for that purpose under a separate specification.

5. Vessel performance data

Routing quality depends on the polar or other vessel-performance information supplied. Generic, incomplete or optimistic performance data can produce unsafe arrival estimates and weather exposure. Adjust for sail plan, loading, sea state, fouling, engine limits, crew and known vessel condition.

6. Maps, imagery and coastlines

General basemaps, satellite imagery and coastline layers are visual context, not official marine charts. Imagery can be old or misaligned. Coastline data can omit reefs, rocks, aids to navigation, restricted areas and depth information.

Map availability also depends on third-party providers and licensing. A missing or blank tile does not mean that an area is clear.

7. Anchor watch

Yachtara's anchor watch runs on the user's device. Its position and alarm state are not remotely monitored by Yachtara.

The alarm depends on:

  • adequate device power and battery condition;
  • continuous GPS availability and accuracy;
  • correct anchor position and alarm-radius setup;
  • operating-system location and background permissions;
  • the application remaining able to run;
  • audible volume, notification permissions and a functioning speaker; and
  • the device remaining with the responsible person or watchkeeper.

GPS drift, multipath errors, device sleep, battery optimisation, software failure or loss of satellite reception can cause missed or false alarms.

Set the radius with regard to scope, depth, vessel length, GPS uncertainty, tide, wind shifts and nearby hazards. Check the vessel visually and by appropriate instruments. Anchor watch does not replace a watchkeeper where conditions require one.

8. Offline operation

Offline packages and caches age from the time they were downloaded. They may not contain later forecast runs, chart corrections, warnings or changes to restrictions. Verify the issue and valid time, refresh before departure and reconnect when practicable.

Do not assume a feature is available offline merely because the interface opens. Test the intended offline workflow before relying on it away from connectivity.

9. Community information

Anchorage comments, locations, maintenance suggestions and other community content are user contributions. They may be wrong, outdated or unsuitable for another vessel. Reduced-precision location markers are not navigation waypoints.

Treat community content as an informal lead to investigate, not an authoritative instruction.

10. Notifications and alarms

Local notifications are scheduled by the device. Yachtara currently has no push-notification infrastructure for remote safety monitoring. Operating systems may delay, suppress or group notifications.

Do not rely on a phone or tablet as the sole source of a critical alarm. Use independent equipment and procedures appropriate to the risk.

11. Telemetry and AI status

Telemetry, NMEA ingestion and AI boat intelligence are not live Yachtara production features at the date of this Notice. Maintenance taxonomy references to NMEA equipment do not mean that Yachtara reads vessel networks.

Future telemetry or AI functions will require separate validation, privacy assessment, safety limits and clear product labelling before release. No future feature should be treated as available until the product expressly says so.

12. Emergencies

In an emergency, use recognised distress equipment and procedures appropriate to the location, including VHF/DSC, EPIRB or PLB, satellite distress systems, flares and direct contact with the relevant rescue authority.

Do not send a community post or support request expecting an emergency response. Yachtara does not monitor them continuously.

13. Reporting a safety issue

Report a suspected Yachtara safety defect to support@yachtara.com with the application version, device, time, location where appropriate, feature used and steps to reproduce. Do not include unnecessary sensitive data.

If immediate continued use could be unsafe, stop using the affected function until the issue has been assessed.