Anyone use a Garmin watch for sailing?

   Been my experience that Garmin and Macs don't mix which is a shame, pity that app wasn't written for the Apple watch, the current sailing app is pants. Screen usually waits til ten seconds to go before going blank, then Siri pops up and asks if there's anything you need..

Problem with Garmin you used to need a PC to do anything snesible like downloading your speed data off their watches, gave up on them years ago, got drawers full of Foreunners and ForeTrex, all next to useless for sailing.

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iGRF Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6499	Post Options Post Reply Quote iGRF Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Anyone use a Garmin watch for sailing? Posted: 08 Dec 21 at 10:16am
	Been my experience that Garmin and Macs don't mix which is a shame, pity that app wasn't written for the Apple watch, the current sailing app is pants. Screen usually waits til ten seconds to go before going blank, then Siri pops up and asks if there's anything you need.. Problem with Garmin you used to need a PC to do anything snesible like downloading your speed data off their watches, gave up on them years ago, got drawers full of Foreunners and ForeTrex, all next to useless for sailing.
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JeffStineSailing Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 06 Dec 21 Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Post Options Post Reply Quote JeffStineSailing Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 08 Dec 21 at 4:29pm
	Hello iGRF, Garmin's software certainly isn't wonderful but they have been making improvements over time and I just checked with a Mac user who sails with my app. He tells me that downloading tracks works fine through the Garmin Connect web site and you can download in several formats. He also uses Garmin Express on the Mac and Garmin Connect on his phone. All apparently work as well as they work on the PC. Express sometimes wipes out app settings which is a pain but in general they work for Mac users these days. As for the apple watch, I considered supporting it. The key reasons that I decided not to are: 1) They exhaust the battery charge quickly. I charge my Garmin Forerunner 245 Music about once a week. 2) Touch screens can be a problem in a wet environment. 3) My understanding is that Apple watch apps are generally dependent on an app running on the iPhone. I want something that's not dependent on a phone to the greatest degree possible. 4) Cost. I began running my app on Garmin's Vivoactive HR. They run around $125 refurbished. They use a touch screen so there's a tradeoff there, but that's what I started with. My Forerunner 245 Music cost around $250. A friend who runs Sail2WIN on a Forerunner 245 Music gave his Apple watch away after switching over to the 245. The Apple watch does things the 245 does not (cell connection) but overall he's happier with the 245. Edited by JeffStineSailing - 08 Dec 21 at 4:39pm

Sam.Spoons Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3400	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sam.Spoons Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 08 Dec 21 at 6:00pm
	I bought my Garmin Vivoactive 3 specifically to run Race Qs but it is not great, as suggested the touch screen causes problems and may be responsible for the app stopping recording tracks mid session. I'll persevere for now as I don't have a recent Apple Watch, my original version is not waterproof but I'm seriously considering buying an Apple Watch 3 or SE which conform to ISO 22828:2010 with a 50m depth rating.
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JeffStineSailing Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 06 Dec 21 Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Post Options Post Reply Quote JeffStineSailing Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 08 Dec 21 at 6:10pm
	I've tried out the RaceQs app

Sam.Spoons Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3400	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sam.Spoons Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 08 Dec 21 at 6:47pm
	Thanks, how much is the subscription?
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JeffStineSailing Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 06 Dec 21 Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Post Options Post Reply Quote JeffStineSailing Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 08 Dec 21 at 6:53pm
	$35 per year.