Author Archive: Ron

Spring Water‑Level Update for Georgian Bay Boaters

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Early‑May 2025

Setting up docks and ramps before the season begins is always easier when we know how much water we can expect.  Many people are dealing with that right now. Current gauge data from Midland, plotted in NautWise GoTime, shows that water levels on 1 May 2025 are about 30 centimetres (one foot) lower than on the same date in 2024. Similar data is also measured and recorded in Collingwood, Tobermory, Parry Sound, Little Current, and Thessalon.  

Over the past two seasons, the bay has added only 10–18 cm (roughly 4–7 inches) between early May and its late‑July high. If this normal pattern holds, the summer‑2025 peak will sit 5–10 cm lower than last year and 15–20 cm lower than the 2023 peak.

What the numbers suggest

Date2023 level2024 level2025 level
1 May≈ 176.48 m MSL≈ 176.42 m≈ 176.12 m
Late‑July peak≈ 176.58 m≈ 176.60 mProjected 176.38–176.46 m

Practical considerations for 2025

  • Dock height and extensions
     Plan for an additional 15 cm (6 in) of clearance compared with last year to keep decks level with boat gunwales in midsummer.
  • Shallow approach channels
     Areas that carried 1.6 m of depth last July could average 1.45–1.50 m this year. Mark hazards and schedule any spot dredging early.
  • Electronic depth alerts
     If you use sonar alarms or app‑based notifications, set them 5 cm lower than your 2024 threshold to receive timely warnings.

(All figures come from the Midland gauge; local depths vary with shoreline profile and wind.)

About the data

The comparison graphics in this post were created with NautWise.com — GoTime. GoTime is designed to help you pick what date or time is best for your chosen activities. (See Post About New Version).

But it also combines real‑time gauge feeds with historic overlays so users can:

  1. Set your location using the drop-down menu on the Home Page.
  2. Compare the current season to past years at a glance by double-clicking on the “Water Level Past Year Delta”.
  3. Create an exact location to estimate depth at your own dock using the Depth Below Draft feature.
  4. Receive automatic email or push alerts when preset depth limits are reached.

The full NautWise GoTime feature set is available free of charge during the spring launch period. Visit NautWise.com for immediate access.

Staying informed now reduces mid‑season adjustments later. Use the early data to set dock heights, review navigation routes, and program depth alerts before boats go in the water. Safe preparations now will make for a smoother, safer summer on Georgian Bay.

This analysis assumes an average water level.  On the day of a trip, check Nautwise to see the value for the day. 

The included dock image was created in AI to demonstrate the impact of low water levels and does not represent a real location. The other images were created from the Desktop version of the NautWise GoTime app.

NautWise GoTime Spring 2025: Built For Georgian Bay Boaters with Your Feedback

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If you spent any time on the water last season, chances are you sent us a note about what would make NautWise even better. We listened—really listened—to the hundreds of Georgian Bay boaters who shared their wish‑lists in 2024, then rolled up our sleeves all winter to turn those ideas into reality. The result is the brand‑new NautWise GoTime Spring 2025 release, live today on nautwise.com. Here’s what you asked for—and what we delivered. ​

1. A Home Page That Thinks Like You Do

What you told us: “I want to know—at a glance—if today’s a go or no‑go for my kind of boating.”
What we built:

  • Go/No‑Go Icons in bold green ✔️ and red ✖️ so you can size up conditions in seconds.
  • A 24‑hour / 10‑day snapshot that shows the whole day and week in one sweep.
  • Lightning‑fast load times and a cleaner layout so you’re in and out quicker than ever. ​

2. “Follow Me” Location Tracking

You asked: “Can NautWise move with me as I cruise?”
Now live: Toggle Follow Me and GoTime automatically refreshes to your real‑time GPS position anywhere on Georgian Bay—perfect for island‑hoppers and loop‑cruisers. ​

3. Fully Customizable Activity Tiles

Your feedback: “Show my activities, not everyone’s.”
Our answer: Pick from 20+ water activities—power‑boating, sailing, kayaking, swimming, SUP, and more—and rearrange or hide tiles so only your favorites appear. One tap reveals current gauges; a double tap pulls up historical trends for the data nerds among us. ​

4. Visual Upgrades Worth Dock‑Talk

  • Radar & Ice Charts right on the dashboard with play / pause / zoom controls.
  • A new Sunlight Factor bar that blends daylight, twilight, and dark so you can time your crossings.
  • Optional imperial / metric toggles and decluttered numbers (good‑bye, needless decimals). ​

5. Smarter Data, Less Scrolling

We streamlined advanced weather details into an “expand‑for‑more” drawer—so casual cruisers see just what matters, while data junkies still get every gust, gust, and pressure drop. Water‑level alerts now surface automatically when big swings hit your saved locations. ​

Why These Updates Matter

Because Georgian Bay doesn’t come with a manual, with GoTime, you spend less time piecing together forecasts from five different apps and more time enjoying that glassy‑calm reach to Hope Island—or knowing to stay tied up when the chop says otherwise. This is your app as much as ours.

Ready to Take It for a Spin?

  1. Go To nautwise.com on your phone.
  2. Sign Up for the app, and we will set you up.
  3. Add to Home Screen for a near‑native app feel.
  4. Log in

See you on the water,
The NautWise Team

NautWise – Water Wisdom for Georgian Bay

Simplify Your Morning Routine with NautWise Morning Updates

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Every morning presents a new opportunity to explore the pristine waters of Georgian Bay, whether you’re planning a leisurely sail, a thrilling kayak trip, or a peaceful day of fishing. But as every seasoned water enthusiast knows, the success of your day often hinges on the caprices of weather and water conditions. This is where the new NautWise Morning Update comes into play, transforming how you plan your water activities with a simple, efficient morning routine.

The Essence of NautWise Morning Updates

NautWise Morning Updates are designed to bring convenience and efficiency to your daily planning. Delivered directly to your email each morning, these updates provide a consolidated view of the day’s and week’s weather and wave forecasts, tailored specifically to your interests and location. With this feature, NautWise ensures that you start your day fully informed and ready to make the best decisions about your activities on Georgian Bay.

Key Benefits of Morning Updates

  1. Convenience: Receive important weather and wave information without having to search for it. Open your email, and there it is—your planning is practically done.
  2. Customization: Tailored specifically to your preferences and local conditions, these updates eliminate irrelevant information, focusing only on what you need to know.
  3. Time-saving: With the need for multiple app checks eliminated, you save time every morning. This means more time for coffee, breakfast, or a few extra minutes of sleep.
  4. Direct Access: Clicking on the image in the email automatically logs you into the NautWise service, where you can delve deeper into details or adjust your plans with ease.

A Day in the Life of a Boater with NautWise Morning Updates

Meet Mark, a dedicated boater who lives just a short drive from Georgian Bay. He loves to take his trailerable boat out on the water, but his busy life means that every minute of his planning needs to be efficient.

Before NautWise Morning Updates: Mark used to start his days early, coffee in one hand, phone in the other, hopping between various apps and websites to check the weather, wind speeds, and wave conditions. This routine was not only time-consuming but also cumbersome, as he tried to piece together disparate bits of information to decide whether it was a good day to hit the water.

With NautWise Morning Updates: Now, Mark’s morning routine is streamlined. He wakes up to the NautWise Morning Update in his inbox, which gives him a clear picture of the day’s weather and water conditions. With just a glance, he knows if the day is suitable for taking the boat out. The update includes a weekly planner as well, so he can start thinking about the best days ahead for longer excursions.

Just this morning, Mark checked his email and saw that the conditions were perfect for a day out. He clicked on the image in the update, which took him directly to the NautWise platform to check the detailed forecast and confirm his plans. By the time his coffee was done, so was his planning. Mark was ready to hook up his trailer and head to the bay, confident that he was making the most out of his day.

Ready to Transform Your Mornings?

If you’re like Mark and want to optimize your planning for Georgian Bay activities, NautWise Morning Updates are your gateway to a simpler, more enjoyable day. Start each morning informed and end it with great memories on the water. Subscribe now and turn your daily forecasts into daily adventures.

NautWise is Much More than a Weather App

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We all have our favourite weather app.   Maybe it is because it has no ads, pretty icons, or a good radar display, but it is not complete for living and boating on Georgian Bay. As a boater, we also likely have wind apps and we know how to get access to the information from the Georgian Bay buoy.  Most weather apps don’t understand the difference between local weather and marine weather. As boaters, we also listen to the Canadian Coast Guard’s continuous marine broadcast on our VHF radio for alerts.  The problem is that this keeps us busy looking at our screens, listening to our radios, and not out enjoying our time on Georgian Bay.

NautWise has the same current and predicted data as the weather apps, but it focuses on using that information to assist you in planning your day.   It has a unique Daily and Weekly Planner feature that provides information you just can’t find in any other place.  This allows you to make plans for your day or week with all of the factors that you would normally check, but without loading multiple apps. 

It also loads information from the closest Georgian Bay buoy and gathers water temperature. It stores many of the measurements in a database providing a history so that you can plot trends.  This history also allows the ability to plot these measurements against each other.   As an extra feature, NautWise keeps a history of Radar and Ice Charts with animation capability.  This provides for both exploration and understanding of what makes Georgian Bay so special. This will provide you with a good working knowledge of what is really going on in Georgian Bay.

As a special bonus for those who have docks, or keep their boats in a marina, NautWise tracks the specifics of the depth of the water at your dock, and measures the exact amount of water below your boat with a feature we call “Depth Below Draft”.

The big difference offered by NautWise is the Custom Rating System.  It combines several different measurements into a simple-to-use 5-star rating.  But it is both Simple but Deep.  You can click on the 5-star rating and see what factors make it up, and how they have been used.  It is not a “Black Box”.  You don’t have to guess why the rating is what it is.   If conditions are not optimal, then you can see why.  Is it the wind, the water temperature, or the waves?

This is beneficial for many reasons.   Custom – NautWise allows you to pick the top 5 Custom Ratings that you want to see, in the order you want to see them.  That way it is customized for your use with your most important information at the top.  Other apps require you to click 10 times to find what you need. Fast – It does calculations on current information instantly, taking into account all of the factors that will impact your experience.  Accurate – calculations are prioritized and ranked for what is important to you and they are continuously updated as the situation changes.

This is a game-changer!  Everything you need to enjoy Georgian Bay is in your hand, (or on your desktop).

Instantaneous. The proprietary calculation replaces a difficult calculation, but the detail is also available so you don’t have to blindly trust it.

Try NautWise today and see why your time on Georgian Bay is about to be more enjoyable!