FirstMate
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The boating app

Plan the cruise, share the trip

Come aboard See what it does
A narrowboat cruising at sunrise
James Warren and family at Braunston, with the Admiral Nelson at Lock 3 behind them
Braunston, at the Admiral Nelson

Why we made it

Thirty years of trips, and an ambitious spreadsheet.

I've been on the canal since before I could walk. My parents have had a share in narrowboat Mandarin for the past 30 odd years and we'd go on several trips a year working our way round the network, from the Shropshire Union to the Oxford Canal. Before every trip Dad would plan out an ambitious schedule in the form of a spreadsheet – the whole route plan and what time we'd all have to get up! Once we set off, one of us had to keep the log, recording time at every lock and junction so we could check we were still on schedule.

In all honesty it worked pretty well, provided things didn't change too much. If there was a hold up at the locks or the chatter on the towpath warned of a closure up ahead, you had to re-calculate the plan. It was time intensive and I couldn't help but wonder if there was a better way.

Having built digital products for a living I decided to put my skills to use for the boating community. FirstMate is Dad's spreadsheet keeping itself up to date. It plans the trip, keeps a log, moves flexibly with your day and is sharable with your fellow crew and friends.

Happy Boating!

James Warren nb Mandarin currently Oxford Canal

What it does

Trip tracking, made for the cut

Route planner

Two points, a set of dates, and a route you can actually do

Pick the day you set off and the day you need to be back. FirstMate builds the route, counts the locks and tunnels, and splits it into days that fit the daylight you have.

  • Lock and tunnel counts before you set off
  • Hours on the move against hours of daylight
  • Moorings and water points along the way
Nantwich to Llangollen 4 days
46 miles 26 hours 17 locks
Day 1
Llangollen to Chirk Bank 8 mi · 2 tunnels · 4 hrs 11 mins
Moor overnight 00:00
Cruise to Whitehouse tunnel via Pontcysyllte aqueduct 09:20
Whitehouse tunnel 10:50
Cruise to Chirk tunnel 11:02
Chirk tunnel 11:30
Cruise to Chirk Bank 11:42
Moor at Chirk Bank, 48hr rings 14:40

On the move

The pencil stays in the drawer

Start the log when you untie and FirstMate keeps the record for you – miles, hours and locks counted as you work them. It moves your arrival time as the day actually goes, not as the plan said it would, so you know by lunchtime whether you'll make it before dark. Tie up and the day's already written down.

  • Every day's cruising kept, from this week back to your first
  • Miles, hours and locks counted as you go
  • An arrival time that follows the day you're having

Share and follow

Gongoozling encouraged, in both directions

Post a trip when you tie up: the route, the photographs, and the day laid out as one timeline. Follow the crews you cruise with, and see their trips as they happen.

MM
Maurice Moss Dragonfly· 4 days ago
Six days to the Folly
route map
photo
46 miles 26 hours 47 locks
38 6
Grindley Brook staircase closes at 16:00 from Monday, on your planned route. Adds 1 day · 2 hrs 40 mins
Water levels back to normal at Hurleston. Yesterday
Audlem flight is on restricted hours until 4 September. 08:00 – 16:00

Alerts and closures

You hear about the stoppage before you are stuck behind it

Closures, restricted hours and low water on the route you have planned, each one saying what has changed and what it costs you in time.

Questions

All core app functionality for mapping, route planning and trip tracking is provided for free. Paid add-ons for additional features coming soon.

FirstMate maps are built on data kindly provided by others.

Canal & River Trust

The canals the Trust looks after, with their locks, bridges and tunnels.

OpenStreetMap

The navigable rivers and the canals outside the Trust's network.

OpenCanalMap

Moorings, water points, service blocks, pubs and supplies, recorded by boaters.

Mapbox

The map itself: the ground, the towns and the roads.

Save the map areas you need before you set off. The timeline and your arrival time keep updating through the stretches with no signal.

Android, with the app in beta while we finish it. An iPhone version is not ready yet.

A trip you publish goes to your followers. A trip in progress is only shared with the friends or crew you choose. You can also mark a trip as private should you choose not to share it.

Get it before your next trip

Free to download, and quick to get started. Android, in beta.

Come aboard