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The storm cloud approaching Block Island began blotting out the sun. From my open-cockpit Pro-Line 23 DC, we watched the lightning dance in the distance and wondered if it would hit us. I also needed to know if the storm would interrupt our 14-mile run back to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Monitoring the weather forecast on the VHF wasn't helping. Its information wasn't current enough. Fortunately, I had cell phone reception. I pulled out my iPhone and looked up satellite weather imagery for our location. I could see that even though the storm was isolated, it would hit us, so we tucked in the harbor and waited out the storm before heading back to the mainland.
The iPhone, or any PDA or cell phone with Internet access, should never be your primary source of information, communications, or navigation when at sea. For one, if your coverage quits, it's as useful as a paperweight. Secondly, it's not even remotely waterproof. (Many cell phones have special marker tags inside them that void the warranty if they get wet.) I keep mine in a plastic sandwich bag with a zipper seal. But in areas where service is available, a gadget like an iPhone can make your boating easier. Here's how...
