Sailing Religion

What this app does

Anchor Alarm watches your boat's GPS position while you're anchored. If your boat drifts beyond the safe distance you set, it sounds a loud alarm so you can react before you drag onto rocks, the shore, or another boat. It also warns you if the GPS signal is lost.

Getting Started

1. Allow location access. When the app asks for your location, tap Allow. The app cannot work without GPS.
2. Keep the app on screen. The app keeps your screen awake while monitoring so the GPS stays active. If your phone warns that wake lock isn't supported, set your screen to stay on.
3. Choose your units. Pick Meters or Feet at the top.

Setting Your Safe Distance

Use the Safety Radius slider to set how far the boat may move from the anchor before the alarm goes off.

GPS Accuracy Filter (optional)

The GPS Accuracy Threshold slider controls how strict the app is about GPS quality. Readings worse than this value are ignored, so a single bad fix won't move your anchor point or trigger a false alarm.

Setting Your Anchor

1. Drop your anchor and let the boat settle and pull back on the rode.
2. When the boat is holding, tap SET ANCHOR.
3. The app takes 10 GPS readings over 10 seconds to find an accurate anchor point. Watch the progress bar and the "Good / Rejected" counter.
4. If signal is poor you can tap CANCEL and try again.

After capture you'll see a result:

• Anchor set ✅ – Confidence HIGH ⭐⭐⭐: Great fix, you're good to go.
• Confidence GOOD ⭐⭐ / LOW ⭐: The anchor is set but accuracy is lower. Consider re-setting with a clearer view of the sky, or use a slightly larger safety radius.
• No reliable GPS — try again: All readings were too weak; the anchor was NOT set. Move to a more open area or wait for a better signal, then tap SET ANCHOR again.

Understanding the Display

While you're anchored, the status panel shows, in real time:

• Status – SAFE, checking drift, drag alert, or GPS issues.
• Distance from Anchor – how far you are from where you set the anchor.
• GPS Accuracy – green = good, yellow = fair, red = poor.
• GPS – confirms the signal is live and how long since the last update.

Alarms and Alerts

• DRAG ALERT! 🚨 means your boat has moved beyond the safe radius for several readings in a row. Go check immediately. After you've handled it, tap SILENCE ALARM.
• GPS FAILURE ⚠️ means the app hasn't received a GPS fix for over 2 minutes and can no longer monitor your boat. Check your location permission, signal, and that the screen is on, then tap Acknowledge.

Best Practices

• Keep the device plugged in — continuous GPS drains the battery.
• Set the anchor after the boat has settled, not while still moving.
• Re-set the anchor if you re-anchor or let out more rode.
• Give yourself a sensible safety radius to allow for normal swing and GPS error.
• Don't rely on the app alone — keep a normal anchor watch.

Troubleshooting

• "GPS ERROR" or no position: Make sure location permission is granted and you have a clear view of the sky.
• App keeps rejecting readings: Raise the GPS Accuracy Threshold or move to a more open area.
• Screen turns off: If wake lock isn't supported, set your device to keep the screen on while anchored.
• When you leave: Tap RESET to clear the anchor and stop monitoring before you get under way.