Safety & Environment Overlays
Plots active navigational hazards and environmental risks on the chart: nav warnings, NAVTEX, sargassum blooms, orca interactions, lee shores, and tropical cyclones.
Where to find it
Map › floating Overlays button (top-left) › Safety tab (warning-triangle icon).
The Overlays button shows a badge with the total number of active overlays. Each category tab also shows its own counter when at least one of its overlays is switched on.
Hierarchy
Overlays (floating panel)
└── Safety
├── Nav Warnings (active navigational warnings)
├── NAVTEX (NAVTEX message decoder)
├── Sargassum (sargassum zones — flies to the Caribbean)
├── Orcas (sightings/interactions — flies to the Strait of Gibraltar)
├── Lee Shore (lee-shore hazard detection)
└── Cyclones (active tropical cyclones — tracks & forecast cones)
Using the panel
What it does: Central place to switch the safety overlays on and off on the chart.
How to use it: 1. On the map, click the Overlays button to open the panel. 2. Click the Safety tab (warning triangle). 3. Click an overlay name to switch it on (it becomes highlighted in colour) or off. 4. The panel is draggable: grab the title bar (handle) to reposition it. 5. Use the × button at the top right to collapse the panel.
Options & settings: - Presets bar (top of the panel): save your current overlay combination with the bookmark + icon, recall one from the Presets list, or delete one via the trash icon. Presets apply across all categories, not just Safety. - Hover any overlay name to see a tooltip describing its data source.
Tips & limits: - In climatological mode (departure more than 7 days out), some weather overlays are greyed out; the safety overlays in this tab generally stay available. - Switching an overlay on requires an internet connection to fetch the data (unless otherwise noted).
Nav Warnings
What it does: Shows active navigational warnings (AVURNAV, NAVAREA warnings) issued by hydrographic services — NGA, SHOM, Admiralty (UKHO), and Kystverket.
How to use it: 1. Switch on Nav Warnings in the Safety tab. 2. Warnings appear on the chart; click a marker to read the detail. 3. Use the warnings panel to filter by age and refresh the list.
Options & settings:
| Filter / button | Effect |
|---|---|
| All | Shows every warning with no date filter |
| 30 d | Warnings issued in the last 30 days |
| 90 d | Warnings issued in the last 90 days |
| 1 yr | Warnings issued in the last year |
| No limit | No age limit |
| Refresh | Reloads warnings from the sources |
| Filters | Opens the filtering options |
Each warning shows its Zone, Issued date, Expires date, and a See link to the source.
Tips & limits: - Worldwide coverage via several official services; density varies by region. - If the list shows "No active navigational warnings", widen the age filter.
NAVTEX
What it does: A NAVTEX message decoder: paste a raw message to translate it (abbreviations expanded), extract coordinates, and identify the maritime zones involved.
How to use it: 1. Switch on NAVTEX in the Safety tab (opens the decoding tool). 2. Decoder tab: paste your raw NAVTEX message into the text box (or click Sample to load an example message). 3. Click Decode. 4. Read the Translation, the extracted Coordinates, and the detected Maritime zones. 5. Click Go to to centre the map on the detected coordinates.
Options & settings: - Decoder / Warnings: two sub-tabs (manual decoding and a warnings list). - Copy: copies the decoded text. - History: keeps decoded messages; Clear history empties the list. - Connect USB NAVTEX receiver: receives messages live from a USB-connected receiver. - Upload photo/screenshot: reads text from an image of a NAVTEX screen via OCR.
Tips & limits: - This is an input/decoding tool: with no message pasted and no receiver connected, the screen stays empty. - USB receiver connection and OCR are advanced features that depend on available hardware/environment.
Sargassum
What it does: Maps sargassum (floating seaweed) zones from NOAA satellite imagery and a CNRS seasonal forecast.
How to use it: 1. Switch on Sargassum in the Safety tab. 2. The map automatically flies to the Lesser Antilles / Caribbean (≈ 19° N, 68° W, zoom 4). 3. Read the coloured zones overlaid on the chart.
Options & settings: - Satellite / Forecast: two data modes (recent satellite observation vs seasonal forecast). - Forecast indicators: Issue date and Lead (in months) of the displayed forecast. - If the requested month's forecast is not yet available, the app shows the previous month with a notice.
Tips & limits: - The automatic fly-to takes you straight to the affected area — no need to pan manually. - Data is mostly relevant to the tropical Atlantic / Caribbean.
Orcas
What it does: Shows recent orca sightings and vessel interactions, based on reports from the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute (ANavNet).
How to use it: 1. Switch on Orcas in the Safety tab. 2. The map automatically flies to the Strait of Gibraltar / Gulf of Cádiz area (≈ 36° N, 8° W, zoom 7). 3. Click a marker to read the event detail.
Options & settings: - Event types: Interaction (vessel contact) and Sighting (sighted only). - Status: Recent vs Past. - Each event shows the Reported date, the Expires date, and the Source.
Tips & limits: - Relevant area: Iberian Atlantic coast, Strait of Gibraltar, and Bay of Biscay. - If "No orca events in view" appears, pan/zoom the map out toward the relevant area.
Lee Shore
What it does: Detects lee-shore situations — when the wind pushes the boat toward a nearby coast — and triggers hazard arcs and alerts.
How to use it: 1. Switch on Lee Shore in the Safety tab. 2. When the wind sets the boat toward a nearby coast, warning arcs appear around the position.
Options & settings: - Alert levels: CRITICAL, WARNING, and Lee Shore Nearby (info). - The alert shows the distance to the Coast, the coast Bearing, the Wind from direction, and the Wind/coast angle.
Tips & limits: - The overlay relies on boat position and forecast wind; it is most useful inshore rather than offshore. - A decision-support tool: always cross-check with the chart and a visual lookout.
Cyclones
What it does: Shows active tropical cyclones — observed tracks, forecast cones, and intensity — from the official centres NHC (Atlantic/East Pacific) and JTWC (other basins).
How to use it: 1. Switch on Cyclones in the Safety tab. 2. Active systems appear on the chart with their track and forecast cone. 3. Click a system to read its Max wind, Moving (movement), and Forecast track.
Options & settings: - Forecast cone: the uncertainty area of the future track. - Track: the observed/forecast path of the centre. - Intensity: coded on the Saffir-Simpson scale (legend shown).
Tips & limits: - If your active route crosses a forecast cone, the app flags the alert "Route crosses forecast cone of …". - Only active systems are shown; an empty screen means no system is currently running in the covered basins. - Data comes from official forecasts: the cone represents uncertainty, not a guaranteed track.