Setting anchors aweigh gets easier and easier in the modern boating age because whatever you need, there’s probably an App for that. The advent of smartphone technology and the proliferation of iPhones and Androids has made many useful boating tools readily available and very affordable, if not free. Here’s the rundown on a few popular boating apps.

Planning your Boating Trip

Forget unfolding the map and trying to figure out where you can go to launch your boat. TakeMeFishing.org has a very handy free App called Boat Ramps. With just a touch of the screen you will get directions to over 35,000 boat ramps across the United States. It lets you either search from your location or by entering an address or zip code.

Everything You Need to Know

You can buy the Boater’s Pocket Reference App from iTunes for just $4.99 and get hundreds of pages of boating information for all levels of boating expertise at your fingertips. This excellent reference book includes hundreds of illustrations, charts and graphs and can help you with everything from figuring out your course to verifying rules for safe boating to determining where to position a boat on a trailer.

Out on the Water

Next to having good boat insurance coverage, this Boat U.S. App will give you peace of mind when you’re out boating. Their free BoatUS Towing App keeps you connected with the largest network of on-water towers so that in the event of a problem you can quickly call for an on-water tow. Best of all, with this App BoatUS knows your location. It lets you view your latitude and longitude even if you’re out of cell phone range. It also lets you share your location and other updates via your favorite social media. Some boat insurance policies cover the cost of having your boat towed so if you do need a tow make sure to keep your receipt so you can submit it to your boat insurance company for possible reimbursement.

Another boat towing option with several other extremely useful features is the free Sea Tow App. This lets you contact Sea Tow for assistance should the need arise, but it also gives you a wealth of other useful functions. With this App you can access information about tides (and even activate a feature to continuously find the nearest tide station), keep informed with up-to-date weather forecasts that include wind speed and direction and weather alerts, and get your bearings with a compass and speedometer.

Other useful Tools

Rest easy with the DragQueen anchor alarm. This free App is loud enough to waken you if it detects your anchor is dragging outside of the specifications you have set using distance and GPS accuracy. Finally you can sleep soundly knowing you’re not drifting into oblivion.

If fishing is on your agenda, check out the iFish USA App created by dedicated anglers. This is a very comprehensive guide to fishing in America is only $3.99 (on a recent long weekend it was on sale for 50% of regular price) and offers extensive features. iFish USA is a guide to over 122,000 lakes and ponds and lets you also find boat launches and camp sites nearby. The calendar and weather reports as well as live reports from fellow anglers will help you determine when is the best time to fish, and there is information about how to fish, state licensing and regulations, species details, and more.