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SailSim app for iPhone and iPad


4.6 ( 8496 ratings )
Navigation Education
Developer: The Digital Forge
0.99 USD
Current version: 3.0.4, last update: 7 years ago
First release : 30 Jul 2009
App size: 1.2 Mb

SailSim is dinghy/yacht sail simulator that can be used as a learning and teaching aid for sailing.

IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH SETTINGS PLEASE READ THIS......

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PLEASE NOTE: All SailSim Settings can be accessed from the Settings App (cogs icon) from the home screen of the iPhone/iPad/iPod - the App functions exactly as described on all devices.
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SimSail works best with the iPhone 3GS but will also work with any iPhone or iPod touch.


iPhone 3GS - with this hardware, your iPhone turns into a sailing boat. You can set the wind direction and then see how changes in boat heading effect the set of the sails, centerboard and boat speed. As you turn the iPhone (boat) the wind direction stays constant relative to the boat and the sails adjust and change shape as they would do in real life. This can be used to demonstrate key principles of sailing to students. You can override the set wind direction with a touch of the screen as explained below. To set the wind direction, press the i button, point the iPhone into wind, hold it there and press Done.

iPhone 3G/2G/iPod Touch - as this hardware does not have a compass, you have to manually tell the SailSim where the wind is blowing from by touching the screen. Using the mast as the center point, touch the screen around the boat to set the wind direction. The wind indicators will show you where the wind is blowing from.

SailSim shows you:
o Boat Heading
o Centerboard (Daggerboard) position
o Boat speed for each sail angle
o Boat tack
o Point of sail
o Wind direction - as compass direction and arrows
o Relative wind position (as you would see on an instrument)

Tom Lochhaas at sailing.about.com said:

Sailing Simulator App for iPhone
Friday August 7, 2009

Well, here it is: another new sailing app for the iPhone. Twice before I’ve written about fun things that you can do with your iPhone on a sailboat that might dangerously distract you from the sailing at hand. But SailSim is different—this one is actually pretty cool.

First there was the app that turns your iPhone into a mini-chartplotter. I imagined a sailor peering at the tiny image of his boat approaching a rocky shoal—and at a critical moment receiving a call and bringing the phone to his ear just in time to run aground. Then there came an app that calculates your windspeed based on the roar of the wind through the iPhone microphone, perhaps enough to distract you from studying that other chartplotter screen just at the moment when you, well, might avoid running aground. My issue with these is that as nifty as they are in themselves, a techno-savvy sailor might be distracted by having too much fun.

The fun of SailSim, however, doesn’t happen while you’re sailing. This new app is more a learning tool you’d use off the boat. Using the iPhone’s accelerometer and the 3GS’s compass, SailSim shows how a sailboat reacts to changes in direction relative to the wind. You turn the phone (boat image) and watch how the sails move to stay trimmed to the new wind direction. As the heading changes, the sails move and the speed changes, and maybe you’d like to gybe or tack the boat? What a fun way to teach principles of sailors to newbies—or enjoy a tedious business meeting!


Keywords: Sailing, dinghy, sail training, navigation, sail, compass, sailing simulation, sailing game.

Check out our other apps: NavStation - for big boat navigation, VitalStatistics - for travelers, LedOTron & LedOTronFree for musicians and music makers and LedOthel, a retro version of the classic Reversi strategy game.

Pros and cons of SailSim app for iPhone and iPad

SailSim app good for

If you have a 3Gs iPhone and a sail boat this app is a must have. It works with your compass.
Great for students of sailing and people who have never been on a sailboat. If you dont fall into one of these categories, you probably wont get much out of this.
This is a great app for someone to learn how to set sails for a particular wind condition. Thats about it. For .99, Id reccomend it to any newer sailor. I bought it to show people on our boat how wind reacts to sails. Id like to see an option where you can remove the centerboard, and maybe add wind speed, and boat charicteristics that would affect heal. Thatd be worth more than .99 though. Great app, very simple and does what it is suppossed to, very well.
I loved this when I was just learning the basics! I tried to learn sail placment from books and the web but this really made it click. Also a great tool to show pasengers how to sail before they get aboard.
Im still learning to sail, and this app is a handy reference when I dont feel like Ive got things trimmed properly.
I teach sailing at the Collegiate level, this app is fabulous! My requests; wish I could save and load different boat settings. Would also like that to adjust some of the deep app system settings, like yacht or dinghy mode. Using boat data files could also begin a database of boats- add a module for your users to upload the data for you! Would also love a PC or Mac version so I could use it on the big screen in class! Maybe fix the wind and rotate the boat when there is no compass...

Some bad moments

It is a shame that a funny app only works at ancient iphone 3g!! No updates for iphones 5 and 6??? Do not buy it!!!
the app doesn’t install on iPhone 4 under iOS 7. Obviously needs iOS8 to install. Description says it runs on all iPhones.
You know.... Heeling angle just might be an important addition. And the ability to set the wind speed and sail type. I know yall can do better. Ill keep my fingers crossed.
I bought it and it does nothing but place the sails were I set the wind. Dahhh!!! It that it?
Complete waste of money. The first app I found that isnt even worth $0.99.
Cannot get app to work as described. Does not turn with phone motion. Cannot find how to change from tiller to wheel.