Agent Tab — conversational AI navigator
A navigation copilot that answers your questions in plain language about routes, destinations, anchorages and entry formalities, and proposes routes you can open on the chart with a single click.
Where to find it
Sidebar › Agent (robot icon). The agent can also open as a floating window over the chart; in that case a button lets you move it back into the sidebar.
Hierarchy
Agent
├── Conversation view (chat)
│ ├── Header (Navigation Agent · Qwen3.5 badge)
│ │ ├── Conversations (history)
│ │ ├── New conversation
│ │ ├── Expand to sidebar (when launched floating)
│ │ └── Close
│ ├── Welcome screen
│ │ ├── Stats banner (routes · destinations · countries · POIs)
│ │ └── Suggestions (Routes · Destinations · Sea-Seek · ActiveCaptain)
│ ├── Message thread (with suggested-route chips)
│ └── Input area (text field · Send / Stop)
└── Conversations view (history)
├── List of saved conversations
└── New conversation
Conversation view (chat)
Asking a question
What it's for: chatting in English (or French) with an offshore sailing advisor that knows the app's built-in databases.
How to use it: 1. Open the Agent tab in the sidebar. 2. Type your question in the field at the bottom (for example "Best route from Canaries to Caribbean in November?"). 3. Press Enter to send (or click the send button). Shift + Enter inserts a line break without sending. 4. The answer streams in word by word. A "Thinking…" label shows while the agent prepares its reply. 5. Keep asking follow-up questions: the agent retains the context of the current conversation.
Options & settings:
| Item | Role |
|---|---|
| Input field | Where you type. Placeholder: "Ask about routes… (Enter to send)". |
| Send button (paper plane) | Sends the question. Disabled while the field is empty. |
| Stop button (red spinner) | While a reply is generating, stops the current response. |
| Enter | Sends the message. |
| Shift + Enter | Line break inside the field. |
Tips & limits: - The agent replies in the interface language (English or French). - Be specific about the season, the departure point and the destination: the agent factors in trade winds and distances, and warns prominently about tropical storm seasons. - A network connection to the AI server is required. If the server is unavailable, an error message is shown instead of an answer.
Starter suggestions
What it's for: kick off the conversation without typing, by clicking a ready-made question. Shown only on a fresh, empty conversation.
How to use it: 1. On the agent's welcome screen, find the Suggestions button (lightbulb icon). 2. Click it to expand or collapse the list. 3. Click a question: it is sent to the agent immediately.
Options & settings: suggestions are grouped into four families.
| Family | Example questions |
|---|---|
| Routes | "Best route from Canaries to Caribbean in November?" · "Trade wind route from Portugal to Brazil?" · "Pacific crossing from California to Hawaii?" |
| Destinations | "What are the entry formalities for French Polynesia?" · "Best season to sail to Greece?" · "Recommended ports of entry in the Caribbean?" |
| Sea-Seek | "Best anchorages in Malta and Gozo?" · "Ports and anchorages on the west coast of Corsica?" · "Where to anchor in the Cyclades in summer?" |
| ActiveCaptain | "Marinas with diesel near Southport?" · "Best anchorages in Florida with moorings?" · "Bridge clearances on the ICW?" |
Tips & limits: - The stats banner above the suggestions sums up the knowledge base: 345+ routes, 1000+ destinations, 173 countries (formalities), 51000+ POIs (Sea-Seek + ActiveCaptain). - Suggestions disappear as soon as the conversation has at least one message.
Opening a suggested route
What it's for: jumping straight from a text recommendation to the matching route shown on the chart.
How to use it: 1. When the agent cites a route, clickable chips appear under its reply (pin icon, colored route code, e.g. "AN37 — departure→arrival"). 2. Click the chip of your choice. 3. The cruising route is selected and the chart recenters on it.
Options & settings: - Each chip is colored by its ocean region and shows the route code plus its leg (departure → arrival) or its name. - Several chips may appear under one reply when the agent compares multiple variants.
Tips & limits: - The agent cites route codes in bold in its text (e.g. AN37, or voyage plans such as A1a, AC1); the chips mirror those codes. - Opening a route from the agent displays it on the chart; you can then edit or save it with the usual planning tools.
Conversations (history)
What it's for: finding and resuming your previous exchanges, which are saved automatically.
How to use it: 1. Click the Conversations icon (speech bubble) in the header. It only appears once at least one conversation exists. 2. Pick a conversation from the list to reopen it. 3. Use the back arrow to return to the chat.
Options & settings:
| Item | Role |
|---|---|
| Conversation list | Title, last-updated date and message count. The active conversation is marked with a gold accent line. |
| Trash icon | Deletes that conversation. |
| New conversation | Starts a blank exchange (button at the bottom of the history and "+" icon in the chat header). |
| "No saved conversations." | Message shown when the history is empty. |
Tips & limits: - Conversations are stored locally, on this device. - Starting a new conversation resets everything: the agent does not remember exchanges from other conversations.
About the AI engine
What it's for: understanding what the agent knows and its limits.
- Self-hosted model: a Qwen3.5 badge sits in the header. The engine runs on VoyagePilot's dedicated server; no third-party key or account is required, but a connection to that server is needed.
- Built-in knowledge: Jimmy Cornell's World Cruising Routes and voyage plans, destinations, entry formalities for 173 countries (ports of entry, required documents, check-in procedure, visas, cruising permits, fees, restrictions), and the Sea-Seek and ActiveCaptain POIs (anchorages, marinas, fuel, services, bridge clearances).
- Focused answers: for each question, the agent only pulls the relevant items from these databases; it favors concise answers and briefly compares variants when useful.
- Anti-hallucination: the agent only cites route or voyage IDs that actually exist in the databases. If no Jimmy Cornell route covers your exact leg, it says so plainly ("no exact match in the database") and gives general seamanship guidance, rather than inventing an ID.
- French questions: the agent recognises French terms and maps them onto its (mostly English) databases, so it finds the right items even if you don't know the English name.