It's actually a wonder that pre-booking a berth in a guest harbour hasn't long since become standard practice. At a time when you can easily order flights, hotels, hire cars and even your weekly shopping with your smartphone, this is still not the norm when looking for a berth for your boat.
It would save all the hoping, worrying and ultimately the uncertainty of the evening harbour parade along all the jetties. In marinas with stern dolphins or finger pontoons, there would also be no need to estimate whether the width would work, because the app knows how big the free spaces are and how long, wide and deep your own ship is.
So there is no shortage of arguments in favour of such a service. And there are also plenty of providers. More than two dozen advertise their service, mostly eloquently. But not all of them responded to the YACHT survey. And none of the more established ones are yet in the process of becoming the next Booking.com for sailors - the distribution is usually too regional, the companies too young. Most of them can be categorised as promising Internet start-ups. Some are financed by investors; the Swiss app Boatpark, for example, which is one of the more established providers, won support and outside capital on the TV show "Höhle der Löwen".
The major market overview in the new issue of YACHT describes what makes the apps stand out, how the technology works and why they could ensure even better utilisation in marinas in conjunction with intelligent, wirelessly networked mooring boards equipped with motion sensors.
Issue 12/2021 will be published on Wednesday, 2 June, at all well-stocked newsagents. You can also conveniently order directly - please click here!
