I’ve had some time to look at Coastal Explorer 2.0 a bit and will cover various features in a series of blog posts. There is a disclaimer of course, that since it’s still in beta anything is subject to change before release.

The textual weather display is a big improvement over version 1.1 with the addition of one simple feature. The area for which the weather is downloaded is highlighted on the chart. This makes it very simple to pull a weather statement for any region on the chart and quickly understand which region the forecast applies. The graphical weather appears unchanged from version 1.1

I just got word from Rose Point Navigation Systems tonight that Coastal Explorer 2.0 was available for beta download. After a quick look there are many new features like support for radar (a whole different topic), enhanced AIS collision avoidance mechanisms like highlighted danger areas, a very slick cruise mode interface that removes the list clutter and arranges the items neatly behind large (vista like) icons. There is a new ship’s log area where it looks like users can share information, much like Active Captain and others.

There was a mention in the beta release communication that not all features and functionality are present in this initial beta. There will be much more to come after a more in-depth look in the near future.

We just got word from Rose Point Navigation Systems that Coastal Explorer 2.0 is coming very soon!

Please see the release below:

Rose Point Navigation Systems is happy to inform you that a new version of Coastal Explorer, version 2.0, will be released soon. We will be demonstrating the new pre-release version at the 2008 Seattle Boat Show in January, and anticipate a considerable wave of interest from the boating public.

Stay tuned for more details, pricing, feature lists, etc. as they become available.

Word has it that Rose Point Navigation Systems has a radar solution under developement for use with Coastal Explorer. We’ll post an update when more news becomes avaialable and it will certainly be offered for sale in our store when it is released for sale.