We love hearing your suggestions for noforeignland. Almost two years ago, when we first started working on our app, a member of our focus group suggested we use the phone’s GPS not only for tracking boats, but also to connect you with other nearby boaters (thanks Herve!).

We loved this idea and named it “Near me”. Since then, many of you have contacted us asking for similar features. So, after a lot of careful consideration (and coding), we are happy to announce that it has now been added to the noforeignland app.

Near me comprises a new notification feed of the boats you follow, and conversations between groups of boaters near you.

So, what does this mean to you?

You can now pin group chats on the map

To help you connect with boats near you, it is now possible to pin public group chats on the map. We have called these group chats community posts, and anyone can create one. For now, community posts come in three flavours:

• Questions
• Events
• Warnings

Community posts are shown on the map using a red chat bubble, with an icon on it:

To save the map from becoming cluttered, community posts are temporary and will be automatically removed when no longer active.

Let’s look at examples of how a community post might help you:

How are the conditions at that anchorage today?

Ever wondered what the conditions are like at that anchorage you’re sailing to? Hoping it’s not too crowded or rolly that day? Or perhaps the entrance is tricky, and you’d like to ask someone there which route they took getting in?

Add a community post question in the anchorage to ask others about the conditions there.

Other sailors can answer your question in the public chat channel (or message you directly if they prefer).

Can I invite other sailors to an activity I’m planning?

Do you run an activity that other boaters might be interested in? Perhaps a beach-BBQ, volleyball, a pub quiz at a marina bar, or even a yoga class?

Let others know by adding a community post event on the map. Events can have multiple dates (maybe a weekly yoga class?) and will be automatically deleted after the last date expires.

The group chat can always be found on the second tab of a community post page (see the red arrow above).

Need to issue a temporary warning?

Maybe you’ve just spotted an obstacle floating past and are worried the next boat might not be so lucky. Or perhaps someone told you that a boat was broken into in a busy anchorage you’re about to spend the night in.

In either of these cases, you can share a community post warning on the map. Let others know and start the conversation! In this example we’ve added a warning about dredging vessels working in a narrow inlet:

IMPORTANT: If the hazard is permanent in nature (like an uncharted rock) then you should add a permanent navigation warning marker. Remember community posts are temporary and will be deleted automatically when no longer active, regular place markers are permanent.

How to add a community post

If you’ve ever added a place marker to the map, then adding a community post will feel very familiar. Simply follow these steps:

1. Tap on Add  marker (see the red arrow above),
2. Choose: Add a new community post marker,
3. Drag the map to where the marker should appear,
4. Select the type of post you want to create (question, event or warning), complete the form, and tap the Add button to add your post to the map.

Attract readers to your post

Give your post a meaningful heading so that others get a feel for what it is you want to share.

Use the Update button to change your post’s wording, set a banner image, or correct its position on the map. You can delete your post (or report someone else’s post) by tapping the menu top right on the post’s page.

So, what’s going on near me?

We understand that the map can become cluttered with so much information available. To make it easy to find the boats you follow, and to see all the community posts around you in one place, we’ve added a Near me feed here:

Your feed shows the boats you are following, and the community posts near you. Each item is displayed with a distance and bearing from your current location:

To customize your feed, tap top right to open the feed settings and select the maximum range of items you wish to see. You can also choose whether you want to see community posts, boats you follow or both:

For power users, try pressing and holding the items in your Near me feed to find bonus features!

Check out the FAQ

Got questions? So did our focus group. To see what they asked – open the app, tap on the main menu button (top left) and look for the Community posts section in the FAQ.

If you still have a question or have thought of something else we should include, then leave a comment below. Remember, we are a cruising couple too so if we’re out sailing, it might take us a day or two to respond.

Keep the app up to date!

To use Community posts and see your Near me feed you must update to the latest version of the app here:

Community posts and Near me are only available in the app and are not available on the website.