Sail Far Live Free

Apple's iPad is quickly becoming a very versatile onboard tool able to serve up the functions of several more traditional pieces of boat gear and marine electronics. While I've highlighted many of my favorite iPad apps  and uses for sailing , I haven't yet blogged about useful iPad accessories for boating and sailing. Enter the iPad 2 Telescope from Brando , an iPad add-on that extends the viewing range of the built-in camera. The telescope accessory comes with a special iPad backplate and attachable lens. The lens adds 6X optical zoom capabilities and features manual focus by rotating the bezel. iPad 2 Telescope accessory Why on Earth would you want a telescope accessory for your iPad? Theoretically, the iPad telescope could serve as a back-up to your binoculars, which should be in every cruiser's inventory for making landfall, spotting ships, reading navigational aids, and much more. But don't go dumping your expensive Fujinons just yet. iPad 2 Telesc

Can chart plotting and navigation on the iPad replace more traditional marine electronics?  I've been using a combination of electronic devices for navigation over the last couple of seasons and thought now would be a good time to review one of my favorites, Navionics HD for iOS on the iPad 2 . For reviews of another great mobile chartplotter app, see my review of MotionX GPS . I have traditionally used a Garmin GPSMap 76cs Plus handheld plotting GPS and more recently added a netbook computer running the free OpenCPN chartplotter software tethered to the Garmin.  You can see this system in action here .  More recently, I've put the Garmin in a back-up role and begun using the Navionics HD app for iOS on my iPad 2, along with a suite of  other great navigation and sailing apps . Chart screenshot from Navionics HD Let's get some iPad basics out the way first.  The iPad's size, touchscreen and brilliant display are excellent for looking at charts.  However, t