Discussion with the Sailing La Vagabonde Team from Online Sailing Networks and Applications
In the world of sailing, two new apps are making waves - NoForeignLand and SeaPeople. These innovative platforms are transforming the way sailors connect, share experiences, and plan their journeys.
NoForeignLand, the latest dedicated social media app for sailors, is a unique blend of destination discovery, live tracking, social connections, and journey logging. Users can browse thousands of sailing destination reports, complete with photos and reviews from fellow sailors. They can also share their own sailing stories by adding their boat to the map, recording their tracks live, and adding text, videos, and blog links to create a permanent journey log.
NoForeignLand also offers practical features that cater to the unique needs of sailors. Users can post warnings about obstructions or poor holding, and events like barbecues or beach clean-ups. They can send messages for real-time advice on navigating new anchorages or harbors. The app even has a feature for users to pin questions to the map, which pops up only to those within a given radius and disappears after a certain amount of time.
SeaPeople, on the other hand, focuses on connecting sailors and facilitating job opportunities. Users can choose from a list of interests and filter to find others with common ground. It includes features for dating and crew exchange. A notable success story is that of Sophie Curran, a crew member on a 56ft custom catamaran in Malaysia, who found her job through SeaPeople after downloading the app during a backpacking trip in Sri Lanka.
While these apps emphasize social interaction and community building, they also offer navigation features. NoForeignLand shows short posts from other users about anchorages, moorings, and harbors, often including details of the best line of approach or holding. SeaPeople integrates AIS-based vessel tracking and collaboration for serious navigation with social collaboration.
Other sailing navigation apps occasionally incorporate social or collaborative features but focus primarily on navigation and weather. Examples include Seapilot, Navionics, Savvy Navvy, SailGrib WR, and PredictWind. While these apps emphasize navigation and trip safety, Seapilot stands out by integrating social collaboration tools specifically for sailors.
Mainstream social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch remain popular among sailing influencers for storytelling and engagement. However, these platforms lack sailing-specific community features. In contrast, NoForeignLand and SeaPeople streamline the process of finding and meeting like-minded people, making them invaluable resources for the sailing community.
Even in the Caribbean, where short-range VHF radio nets are still thriving, these new apps are making their mark. Whether you're a seasoned sailor or just starting out, these apps are revolutionizing the way sailors connect, making the vast ocean a little less daunting and the sailing community a little closer.
- Technology has introduced new lifestyle platforms that are changing the landscape of sailing, with NoForeignLand and SeaPeople leading the way in connecting sailors, sharing experiences, and planning journeys.
- NoForeignLand, a unique social media app, offers a blend of education-and-self-development, online-learning, entertainment, and technology, allowing sailors to learn from each other's experiences, plan their journeys, and engage in social media interactions.
- Not confined to just social engagement, these platforms also cater to sailors' practical needs, such as providing navigation advice, job opportunities (SeaPeople), and real-time warnings about obstructions (NoForeignLand).
