Beam Reach
A local-first sailing companion for trip planning, readable GPS instruments, club-race tools, NOAA-sourced conditions and weather radar, and offline maps.
Origin.
A day on the water is split across too many small tools: one for planning, another for instruments, another for racing, and more for weather and tides.
Beam Reach began as a way to keep those practical pieces together without pretending to replace official charts or the skipper’s judgment.
How it works.
Build manual waypoint trips, read four high-visibility GPS instruments, set up club-race marks and courses, and check NOAA-sourced wind, tides, and marine alerts.
Turn on current NOAA weather radar over the visible map when you need it. The overlay keeps its observed frame time, freshness, and reflectivity scale visible; it is not a forecast or a complete hazard picture.
Selected map packages can be saved before coverage fades. Core use is local-first, with no required account or subscription.
Current state
Status / Beta
Beta.
The current beta adds an optional NOAA weather-radar overlay to the map. iPhone and Android testers continue to shape the app through real-world use before a wider release.
Beta resources
Privacy details and help for the current iPhone and Android beta.
Read the details.
Build notes
From the work.
One sailing day, not another chartplotter
The useful boundary is deliberate: help a sailor plan, read the boat, and run a club course while keeping sources, limitations, and judgment visible.
The beta is on the water
The app has moved beyond internal prototypes. Testers are using the current iPhone and Android builds, giving the interface and offline behavior a more honest test than a simulator can.
Weather, layered honestly
Radar starts off and loads only when requested. It shows current observed NOAA reflectivity for the visible map, preserves source and freshness context, and never presents itself as a forecast, safe-route signal, or offline weather package.