HelmKeeper

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About this app

HelmKeeper is the boating companion that makes the steps you always mean to take actually easy — and keeps your vessel, your conditions, and your emergency know-how in one place.

File a float plan — and actually send it.
A float plan tells someone ashore where you're headed and when you'll be back, so help can be sent if you don't return. HelmKeeper lets you build one in minutes and text it to one or more contacts in a single tap, with an emergency contact pulled straight from your address book. The safety step everyone means to take, finally easy enough to do every time.

Emergency procedures, written down before you need them.
The SOS tab keeps clear, step-by-step write-ups worth reading at the dock — including running aground, man overboard, fire aboard, taking on water, medical emergencies, capsizing, and the ones most apps skip: prop strike and a fouled prop. The distress-call steps (VHF Channel 16, then your Mayday) are right at the top, so you're never scrolling when seconds matter.

Marine conditions you can trust — because we show our work.
Tides, currents, wind, waves, and weather from official NOAA and National Weather Service sources, mapped across thousands of stations. Every station shows what it actually tracks, and when the nearest data is some distance away, HelmKeeper tells you exactly how far — no pretending a reading is local when it isn't.

The tide card lists the day's highs and lows and marks each turn on the chart. Tide heights are labeled as heights, not depths, and shown with a plus or minus sign — because a tide height is the number you add to the depth printed on your chart, not the water under your boat.

Know who gives way.
The Right of Way Emulator lets you build a situation — put a vessel anywhere around you, choose what it is and which way it's pointing — and see who gives way, what to do, and which horn signal to sound. Or test yourself on ten situations drawn from a bank of thirty. Every answer cites its rule and explains why the other options are wrong. Works with no signal.

Checklists that travel with your crew.
Build maintenance and pre-departure checklists, then text the "what to bring" list — food, bait, towels, gear — to whoever's coming along.

Built to be light on your battery.
On the water, a dead phone is a safety problem. HelmKeeper is deliberately easy on battery and data, so it's still there at the end of a long day out.

Your boat's home base.
Manage your vessel details, insurance, and saved spots — all in one place, all private to you.

HelmKeeper is an educational and planning tool. Weather and marine data are provided for planning and general information. Always confirm conditions with official forecasts and your own judgment before heading out. In an emergency, contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16 or call 911.

What’s new

A new Home screen and a smoother start.
- New Home screen with four big tiles. Make it yours with Customize, or tap Reset to go back to the default.
- Boat details are now optional. Add your boat when you're ready. It's always in Settings > My boat.
- Float plans can use your boat details, with a simple prompt to finish setup.
- Boat edits save on your device first and sync when you're back online.
- A quick tour of the app, and better support for large text.