Passage planning for tidal waters

Specific tide data for your route, delivered to your device.

course2steer connects to tide data providers and builds a tide table for your route, calculates tide vectors and estimates your position and passage timing.

See how it works
A navigator using a device beside a paper chart at a yacht's chart table
A companion app for chartwork, chartplotters and navigation software.

Why course2steer

Using tide data in passage planning.

Modern technology transformed navigation, but tidal calculations are often manual and tidal information is not specific to a route.

Charted tidal diamonds and traditional tables provide valuable information, yet the navigator must often decipher, interpolate and plot the effect of set and drift by hand. course2steer brings accurate, relevant tide data into a useful mobile app that calculates the best course to steer while planning a passage or underway.

Example of a traditional tidal diamond data table

From information to calculation

Route-specific, time-specific, useful.

course2steer selects tide data for the navigator’s route, date, time and projected position, then builds a specific tide table to support chartwork calculations and navigation underway.

How it works

From route import to underway updates.

course2steer connects the planned route, tide predictions and actual sea conditions.

  1. Bring the route

    Import a GPX route and set the planned departure time, speed through the water, leeway and magnetic variation.

  2. Build the tidal picture

    Acquire tide data closest to the route, projected time and position, then build a tide table for the passage.

  3. Calculate the course

    Compare navigation methods, plot course to steer and estimated positions, and check the predicted track and timing.

  4. Update while underway

    Adjust to an observed position and time or sea conditions while underway. The app recalculates the rest of the passage, even when offline.

Experience

Before departure, at the chart table and underway.

Use course2steer to plan before departure, at the chart table and while underway. The app delivers accurate tide vector calculations specific to your route and schedule.

Before departure

Prepare the passage

Set the route and passage parameters. course2steer builds the tidal picture for the planned time window.

At the chart table

Compare and check

Compare Standard and CrossTide methods, plot the resulting course and review estimated positions and arrival time.

Underway

Keep the plan current

Update timing, speed, leeway or an estimated position. course2steer recalculates the remaining passage with refreshed data.

DATA APIs

Copernicus, UKHO Admiralty, NOAA, and Canada IWLS

course2steer connects to digital tide providers through their application programming interfaces (APIs).

course2steer selects data for the navigator’s route and time window, validates the provider samples and creates one consistent tide table for the navigation engine.

Copernicus Marine Service

Provides ocean-model forecasts of tidal currents by date, time and position. Its modelling incorporates atmospheric pressure and tide station observations to refine forecasts.

UKHO Admiralty Tidal API

Supplies astronomical tide predictions that support passage planning months in advance. course2steer selects data for the route, departure time and projected passage position.

NOAA Tide Predictions

NOAA publishes US hydrographic data from the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS). course2steer obtains these tides for routes in the Americas.

Canada IWLS

Canada’s Integrated Water Level System (IWLS) provides predictions, observations and currents at tide stations across Canada.

Provider-independent processing course2steer converts different provider formats into the same route-specific tide-data model.

System overview

Preparing tide data for the navigation engine.

The course2steer server obtains provider samples and the app performs the interactive navigation workflow.

A passage session stores the route parameters, canonical tide table and calculation inputs required for later offline adjustment and replay.

A representative network of modern marine navigation instruments

Built as a companion

Works alongside existing navigation systems.

Chartplotters excel at electronic charts, position, speed and heading. course2steer focuses on applying the tide to route planning, course to steer and passage timing.

Contact

For product enquiries please contact:

clayton@lockehaven.co.uk
Lockehaven Limited Company number 12378511 Registered in England and Wales 41 Simons Walk Egham TW20 9SJ United Kingdom