Tide and current predictions are displayed in small pop-up windows that open on top of the chart. The interface is a bit dated in the sense that many other programs graphically show tides and currents for the vessel's current time and location. In The Capn, the display is a traditional tide or current graph for a 24-hour period and you must cross reference a particular time.MAPTECHTide and current data is provided with The Capn. Stations are shown on the chart ("T" and "C") and in table form (inset).

However, it is very easy to access present tide and current predictions with the Choose Tide Station or Current Station features. With these features on, all tide or current stations within 30 nautical miles of your vessel are shown on the chart with a "T" or "C" (see photo). Right-click a station and view that station's tide or current in a very concise shorthand format, such as "15:38 0.8 ft (Rising)." One easy improvement would be to include the tidal range, such as "15:38 0.8 of 3.2 ft (Rising)."

In Nobeltec VNS, invoking tide and current predictions severely slowed down VNS's performance. The same problem occurs with The Capn. You cannot feasibly run Capn with tides and currents enabled. Only enable this feature to obtain the information you need, then disable it immediately.

The Capn's Nautical Almanac, reached by choosing Navigation>Rise and Set Times, brings up a window that calculates the rise and set times for the sun and moon (for that day or month), meridian passage of selected planets and a list of star positions.

Coast Pilots can be displayed if you choose to load them. Although the documentation implies they are automatically loaded, they are not. Before viewing the Coast Pilots, you must download the documents from Maptech's technical support web page (see link). Once loaded, choosing the feature Go To>Coast Pilot Page will open the Coast Pilots in a large text window. There is limited search capability, but you can access the index to locate relevant pages.

To compensate for your compass deviation, Capn includes a Compass Deviation Card. This window lets you fill in your vessel's deviation correction, allowing The Capn to display accurate course routes. Fill in the deviation for the four cardinal points and Capn automatically calculates the intermediate values in 15-degree increments. (For a story on compass deviation, see link.)

The Capn interfaces with many external devices, including an autopilot, GPS, compass, depth sounder and video camera. If your GPS uses a serial connection, you must purchase a serial-to-USB adapter such as KeySpan's USB High Speed Serial Adapter for $39 (see link).

The Capn has a standard AIS interface, including a position report on a vessel showing a ship's status, COG, heading, speed, rate of turn and MMSI number for Digital Select Calling. Right-clicking on a target provides Full Ship Info with more details on the vessel (see photo). To reduce clutter on your chart display, such as in a busy harbor with many ships, the tracks and "closest point of approach" lines can be turned off.

As we've said, The Capn includes many features not intended for recreation boaters. For example, it can set watches for fishing areas or calculate the length of your vessel and tow. Licenses can be purchased in quantity for fleet management. Maptech will also customize your Capn purchase to add special features or functions, or customize your charts with information overlays, specific to a commercial vessel's needs. All these additional features are reminders that Capn is designed and marketed for the commercial or government user.

ASSESSMENTMAPTECHAll AIS targets are shown in a list (left). Right-click on any charted target to get Full Ship Info (center).

Devoted users of The Capn can breathe a little easier. It seems there are no longer any assassins lurking in Maptech's corridors. In fact, the United States Power Squadrons has just announced that beginning Spring 2008, The Capn will be taught in their most advanced navigation class. Students not only receive instruction on The Capn, but also take home a personal copy for their own use.

And although The Capn's founder, Dennis Mills, has retired after a stint with the company as product manager, Maptech has responded to consumer demands, recently posting several updates and a revised manual. Technical support is abundant through Maptech's online support, which includes technical documents, various downloads and discussion forums (see link).

However, although The Capn is a jewel–and truly the first e-charting application–it is getting long in the tooth. It remains a powerful, feature-rich program and should improve with access to Maptech's extraordinary resources: technical support, sales channels, development team, and charts and supplemental data. But Maptech must invest in this product or it will eventually die. Its interface and features require a serious dusting-off.

Although Maptech's stated direction for The Capn is a program geared for government and commercial vessels, today it is used by two groups of boaters: Recreational users who learned on the program and remain loyal and commercial captains. Both groups want a simple stable charting and navigation application.

If you're a recreational boater and already own The Capn, it's still a great program. You should take advantage of the latest updates to the software and cartography that Maptech offers for $149. However, if you don't already own The Capn, or if you want to switch to a more contemporary application specifically geared to recreational users, a better choice is Maptech's Chart Navigator Pro.