• Select canals:
  At first you have to select the canals of your travel region. The app will only find places and navigate on the canals which you did select. You can later add canals at any time. Select the canals and press OK to continue.
• Select a travel destination / waypoint:
  You either click your canal destination on the map and open the waypoint dialogue from the popup or you click on the search icon  on the map window and search the place via its name.
• Why select a destination / waypoint?:
  Selecting a destination allows the app to determine in which direction you want to go and show travel statistics/data. You can also set a start point if you want to plan a track in advance. Inserting waypoints can help to select a certain route (return routes and circle routes require waypoints).
• GPS:
  Enable GPS to use the navigation functions. Mobile devices will ask multiple times for permission. That is because the app uses GPS as well as the compass. You can use this app also without GPS to plan routes ahead.

Installing as an App/PWA:
This app/site can be used offline. This requires it being installed as a so called "PWA" (you find the button on the welcome screen). You find detailed information about installing a PWA on this external web page (mozilla.org) Installing a PWA is supported on Android and Apple iOS devices. Also on Desktop Computers when using "Chrome" or "Edge" (not Firefox).

Map:
The selected canals and place icons will be visible while being offline. Obviously, you can't import new canal data while being offline.
If you select the "OSM CC Offline" map layer, all map tiles which you view while being online will be cached in a local db for later offline use. A few area maps can also be preloaded (see the maps button in the preferences dialogue).

Navigation:
All navigation functions can be fully used while being offline.

Notices and Stoppages:
Notices and stoppages obviously can't be updated while being offline.

The Waypoint dialogue lets you set your travel destination and intermediates on the canals.

In the upper part you find the place which can be assigned to a waypoint or inserted between two waypoints. You can use the  button to change it.

The buttons set, insert, delete, reorder switch the mode of operation.

Start:
You can assign a start waypoint if you want to plan your travel ahead. I.e. if you are not on the boat or your device has no GPS. When GPS is enabled then your current position is used instead.

Numbered Waypoints:
Intermediate waypoints let the navigation know which places have to be visited on the route. On a return route your start & destination would be the same place and the waypoint would mark the place where you turn around (wind). When traveling on a ring route you would need multiple waypoints. The app will always plan your route to the first waypoint (or destination if no other waypoints are set). If you have reached waypoint #1, then remove it to get directions to the next waypoint/destination.

Why select canals?
The app stores all the channels you want to navigate locally on the device. To reduce resource consumption of the app you usually only select the area of the network where you actually plan to travel.
The search function und place information on map click will only work for selected canals.

By region
The buttons toggle one or more regions you want to add to the selection. Finally you press OK and the canal data will be downloaded.

Custom
This mode gives you more control over the canal selection. It allows also deselection of previously loaded canals. You drag the rectangle on the map over your area of interest and add or remove the canal selection with the buttons "Add/Remove". This step can be repeated until you finally press OK to load the selected canals.

• Add
  Add the canals under the rectangle (highlighted in red) to the current selection.
• Remove
  Remove the highlighted canals from the selection.
• OK
  Update your changes on the selections in the apps local storage.
• Reload
  Reload/Refresh the data of all selected canals from the Canal Compass server. (The data will usually still be "older" than on CanalPlanAC because the Canal Compass server updates the data only very occasionally.)
• ... canals selected
  This link opens a dialogue where you can select/deselect canals one by one in a list. More importantly, you can clear the selection of all canals. (Keep in mind that you should add at least one canal after doing this to be able to navigate with the app.)
• ... canals excluded
  Clicking this link will list all canals which are generally excluded from the selection. These canals are are exluded for a reason. Some are unnavigable, some require a specific permission or license to navigate. Unchecking a canal will make it available for selection (but not automatically selects it).

When GPS is enabled, the map screen will display some info at the current position:

• Boat Icon: If you are is moving, a boat icon will indicate the direction of travel. If you are (roughly) stationary then a green circle is shown instead.
• Red circle: Indicates the quality of the GPS signal. The smaller the circle, the better.
• Blue shaded sector: Indicates the direction where you point your device (if your device is equipped with a compass).
• Grey line with distance information: If your position is not exactly on a canal then this shows your distance to the closest location on a (selected) canal. This usually happens if you are on a lake or open waters and don't travel exactly on the plotted (virtual) canal. The travel statistics (time/distance to destination) is based on the canal position the line points to.

Map buttons:

	Menu for accessing app dialogues and options.
	"Dashboard" showing speed & "course" and the distance to the next place of different categories. (See )
	Shows travel stats of your set route between waypoints and junctions.
	List the next places on your route with travel time and distance. This list can be filtered by clicking on the icons. (See )
	Calculate the overnight stops of your travel.

Note: This function requires a set destination. The listing of places and distances assumes that you travel in the direction towards the next waypoint/destination.

• Waypoints:
  See topic "Managing Waypoints".
• Preferences:
  Switch distance units. Access simple maintenance functions.
• Select Canals:
  Add remove canals from your current canal selection.
• GPS:
  When enabled, the navigation will calculate the route from your current location to the next waypoint/destination and a few other functions which require GPS will work. Without gps, you can still plan a route from a set start point.
• Pause:
  Temporary disable all GPS related updates.
• Daytime/duration:
  Info screens either display the estimated time of day on which you reach a certain place or the required travel time.
• Time markers:
  Adds markers to the map which shows your estimated locations in the next few hours.
• Notices & stoppages: (UK canals only)
  Adds icons for CRT notices & stoppages to the map. This information can be incomplete. The best source is always the CRT Notices and stoppages web site.

To automatically plan overnight stops it is - obviously - required to set at least a destination waypoint. If you plan your travel ahead (GPS off) then you'll also need to assign a start waypoint.

The app will start with the time you plan to travel on your first and (if you have set an arrival date) last day of travel and tries to distribute the remaining travel time over the days in between.

• From:
  • Start now:
    This is useful when planning the stops from your current position, or to update the overnight stops while underway.
    • Travel today until
      The app will try to select the first stop so that you arrive at around the set time.
  • Start at date:
    Plan the stops from any date in the future.
    
    • From date:
      The start date of the planned journey.
    • Travel h on first day:
      How long you plan to go on the first day.
    t date
• To:
  • Daily travel time:
    If you don't have a set arrival date then you use this option. You just state the hours you want to travel each day and the app plans as many stops as needed to reach the destination.
    
    
  • Arrive at date:
    If you have a set arrival date then set it here. Additionally select the travel time you have left on the last day. The app will aim to plan the last stop so that the last days travel time stays below that value.
• Stop at:
  The more restrictive you set this option the more the daily travel times will vary. Take also note that the app can be particularly stupid here.
  • Stop at any place:
    Any place on the route can be planned as a stop.
  • Stop at any permitted place:
    The app won't stop at places where mooring is explicitly known as forbidden. (This does not automatically include winding holes or locks) as the canal may still allow mooring nearby. Might be useful to avoid planned stops inside larger lock flights.
  • Stop only at moorings:
    Stops are only planned on places which are known as moorings (which does not automatically mean that mooring there is always possible).

• Display:
  Adjust the look of the app.
• Units:
  Change the units for speed and distance.
• Speeds:
  Adjust your average travel speed and time required for locks.
• App:
  • Restart:
    Simply restart/reload the app. Maybe helpful in the case smaller "hickups" occur.
  • Delete all:
    Clears all app data. Use this either before uninstalling the app or when you want to switch the geographical area. It may also be helpful if some error prevents the proper startup of the app.
    This deletes all data in this app including i.e. your bookmarked places and waypoints.
• Maps: (button)
  Preload map tiles for offline use. (Only a few areas available)

The distance & time display to the next places is incorrect/weird:
⇒ You may have travelled past a waypoint and did not delete it. The calculations then assume that you travel back to that waypoint and then continue to your destination which may not be what you actually intended.
⇒ You can adjust your average travel speed in the preferences dialogue.

How can I switch to another geographical area:
If you want to switch to another geographical area (i.e. from "Great Britain" to "Ireland") then you'll have to delete all app data in the preferences dialogue ("App" tab). Be aware that you will also lose all other app settings.

The boat icon is pointing in the wrong direction:
The boat icon is pointing in the (average) direction in which you are actually moving with your device. Also especially when moving in open or tidal waters the boat icon will point in the direction of "course over ground (COG)" and the speed indicated will be the "speed over ground (SOG)" which can deviate due to wind and current. If your device has a compass then a blue gradient will indicate the direction in which you are pointing your device. This may be helpful. But keep in mind that compasses may show bad readings due to bad calibration of the device or metal (like the steel hull of a boat).

Something seems not to act as intended:
You can restart the app from the preferences dialogue / ("App" tab) which may often help.
If all fails then you can start all over using the "Delete All" button in the preferences.