Newsletter #1 - February 11, 2007

Welcome to the first ActiveCaptain newsletter.


1,000 Registered Users
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The ActiveCaptain web site (www.activecaptain.com) has been up for less than a month and the response has been tremendous. There are now over 1,000 registered users who have made more than 13,000 updates. And more are added every day. Some Captains have begun adding international markers, which is great. We are working with some international sites to begin populating ActiveCaptain with many more international markers.


ActiveCaptain Adds Anchorage Markers
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Many of you have been taking your own initiative by adding your favorite anchorages, restaurants and other bits of local knowledge. As planned, we have added a new type of marker for anchorages as well as a new window for entering anchorage details. Marinas will continue to display as red markers and anchorages will display as green markers. You can also choose which markers you would like to display: marinas only, anchorages only, both or none.


ActiveCaptains
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Some Captains have been working overtime! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.


Top 5 Captains by points
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T Smith of DH, WA - 1368 points
markct of cleveland - 491 points
b393capt of Huntington, NY - 482 points
Bob Taylor of Pickwick, TN - 334 points
charles of Patterson, La - 221 points


Thanks to all of the Captains we now have over 8,200 facilities, 13,000 updates, and are working towards our thousandth review. Captains have already entered many markers in Canada and the Caribbean. And we are seeing markers turn up in the UK, the Netherlands, and even Slovenia. Let us know where you're cruising!


Three Things You May Not Know About ActiveCaptain
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1. "Pop-out" navigation window

You may have noticed that to the left of the zoom bar is a small arrow. But have you tried to click on it? Clicking on this arrow will display an overview window of your current position. In the center of the window is a gray box showing the area displayed. This can be helpful in a couple of ways. First, you can click and drag the gray box to move quickly to another area of the map. When you are in satellite mode, the overview box remains in map mode, which displays location names. This can be helpful in selecting a precise location on the map. It sort of lets you see the forest AND the trees.


2. Changing marker positions

Thanks to your updates, misplaced marinas are being positioned in their correct locations. Do you know you can easily move an existing marker? Select the details for the marker and click the "Navigation" tab. Then click the blue "Position" heading. This will display a small map showing the current position for that marker. Find the correct location, press and hold the mouse button for a second. A new marker will appear labeled "New position". If this location is correct click the "OK" button, or press and hold in a new location to move the marker again. Once we validate the new marker position, it will be moved on the map.


3. Satellite View

Using the satellite view can help you position a marker for a marina. Move the map near the position of the facility and then change to the satellite view. Most of the satellite images are so detailed that you can actually see the docks allowing you to click on the precise location.



Coming Soon
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The next planned enhancement to ActiveCaptain will include a new Local Knowledge marker. This marker will provide a way to identify that unique brand of information we call "local knowledge." Tell your fellow Captains about that fabulous restaurant, the place to watch a magnificent sunset, or that unmarked shoal where others have run aground. This is the kind of information you just can't find in publications. In addition, we are working with West Marine to include information about each of their marine stores. We're also working on a way to integrate US Coast Guard Notice-To-Mariners reports as well as many other items of interest. These new Local Knowledge markers will appear in blue - watch for them!

Finally, we will also be adding the ability to make changes to your ActiveCaptain account. You can make corrections, update your account to reflect new information, or correct typing mistakes.

Thank you for supporting this project. As we leave later this week to begin our own winter cruising, we look forward to adding our new experiences to ActiveCaptain, taking advantage of your knowledge, and maybe even meeting some of you along the way. Hoping for calm seas and blue skies.


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Karen and Jeffrey Siegel
aCappella
Castine, Maine

www.activecaptain.com
Content, Communications, Community