It is easy to imagine a brisk breeze blowing and lapping water buoying the wooden boats that fill the gallery of ArtsWestchester’s Arts Exchange as part of “From Shore to Shore: Boat Builders and Boatyards of Westchester and Long Island.” The exhibition presents a multimedia exploration of boat building in the region. It includes a 15-foot-long illustrated timeline, graphic panels, videos, models and half-models and a selection of well-worn tools. Interspersed are actual boats — a flat-bottom fishing skiff, a couple of rowing boats, six handcrafted kayaks and a 16-foot melonseed catboat, its single gaff-rigged sail unfurled.

G. Bruce Knecht considers his new book, “Grand Ambition” (Simon & Schuster, $27), to be a water-based companion to Tracy Kidder’s “House.” Like that classic work of nonfiction, “Grand Ambition” focuses on all the aspects of building, and all the people involved, only instead of a house the subject is a $40 million yacht called Lady Linda.

Around the Mediterranean, countries are battered by economic and political storms, from civil war in Syria and financial meltdown in Cyprus to the relentless grind of austerity in Greece, Italy and Spain.

But out on the water, it’s another story. There, yachts like Eclipse, the plaything of the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, are being chartered this season at weekly rates running into the millions of dollars, according to people in the charter market.

Because the local market for megayachts is so small, and there’s not much of an exchange rate advantage, New Zealand has to find ways to lure overseas buyers.

The sailing calendar in the Caribbean has been filling up over the past decade, drawing modern and classic yachts from Europe, the United States and, increasingly, the Caribbean itself. This week sees the fourth edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth, a four-day regatta.

The island of St. Barthélemy, in the French West Indies, is best known as an easygoing playground for the rich, but organizers of the annual regatta say that racing in paradise is not just a breeze.

Emirates Team New Zealand won both fleet races to take a 5-point lead over Oracle Team USA Slingsby heading into the final day of the America’s Cup World Series.

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.

Recently a coalition of mayors from communities on both the American and Canadian sides of the lakes called on the leaders of both countries to help. They cite a study that blames dredging to allow passage of deep-draft freighters for causing the low water levels and urge immediate investigation into possible solutions to the problem.

Low water levels may expose rocks, sandbars and other hazards that were previously safely well below the surface. If you’re boating in an area with lower water levels it’s more important than ever to make sure you have ample boat insurance coverage. If you have questions regarding your boat insurance policy you can call Global Marine Insurance at 800-748-0224. Also take extra care this season to check the depth near the shoreline and navigate slowly in shallow waters so that you have time to respond to obstacles hiding just below the surface.

Even though recreational boating vessels aren’t the size of their commercial counterparts, low water levels will impact recreational boaters as well. Lower levels will make it challenging to use existing docks to launch fishing and pleasure craft into the water. Fewer people boating for pleasure or fishing means less income for related businesses including bait and tackle shops, which is not good news for the local economy.

Additionally, the environment tends to suffer when water levels decrease. Wetlands and fish stock tend to be impacted most as their natural habitat changes for the worse.

When the water levels drop this low it is detrimental for commercial boating traffic in the Great Lakes. It is a potential economic and financial impact for local and international trade.

The Great Lakes are important for shipping, with many commercial ships ferrying commodities to various harbors. When water levels are lower, ships need to have lighter loads rather than filling to capacity, which impacts their profitability. Typically the prices for items they ship, such as coal, will increase and be passed on to consumers.

News reports in early February say the water level on Lake Michigan was at a record low in January. According to Army engineers, the lower than average water levels are caused by a hot summer and little snow so far this winter.

Water Levels Worse in Recent Years

Officials say the water levels have been decreasing in recent years. However, current levels are the lowest they have been since the early 1900s.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) documented a lake level of just 576.02 feet this past January. This is the lowest for both Lakes Michigan and Huron since early last century.

Fishing and sporting sites have been ranking the best trout fishing states for many years. Over and over again, the results are the same. The top five states for anyone serious about trout fishing are:

• New York State
• Pennsylvania
• Montana
• Michigan
• Arkansas

Before you take off on your first spring fishing trip, it’s important to give your boat and fishing equipment a thorough inspection and make sure you’ve covered any safety concerns. This can include having the appropriate number of approved life jackets or other flotation devices, letting someone know where you’ll be and when you’ll return, checking the weather, bringing a cell phone and inspecting your boat to make sure it hasn’t been damaged over the winter months.

Opening of trout season varies from state to state, but across the country, many anglers will agree that opening day marks the beginning of spring and the start of the boating season.• In early spring, just after the ice has melted, you’ll find trout close to the lake surface. They prefer water temperature around 50°F, so look for them in areas where the sun has warmed the top of the water.

• Another great place to find spring trout is close to rocky shoreline areas. The rocks will hold the heat from the sun and radiate it back out into the water. This warmer water will attract the trout and give you a good place to troll for hungry trout.

• Use your boat’s GPS or sonar to find drop-offs that are not too deep. Lake trout will look for food sources along the contours of these drop-offs because the water in these areas is warmer. Why not offer them your bait right where they’re looking?

• Spring is spawning season for many small fish in the creeks and rivers that feed lakes. You can find hungry lake trout all along the areas where these creeks and rivers meet the lake. Try the deeper and shallower spots near spawning areas. If the trout in your lake feed on ciscoes, early spring is the ideal time to follow the hungry ciscoes to the trout. Right after the ice thaw you can find ciscoes in the warmer shallows and by late spring, you’ll find them in the drop-offs.

• Many anglers swear the trick is to finding the best trout fishing areas is to locate a zone where the water temperature ranges from 48 to 52°F. Remember, the trout will seek out this temperate water, so take the water temperature and find the trout.

Make sure to give your boat a thorough stem to stern inspection. Do not wait until the last minute to find out that something is not working. Go through a pre-launch inspection and check your engine, your marine electronics and your safety equipment. Double check that your boat insurance policy is up to date and includes ample coverage for your current needs. If you have questions regarding your policy, get them answered before venturing out. And last, but not least, make sure you “file a float plan” by letting someone know where you are going, who will be with you and when you are expected to return.