OnlyCanalsOnlyCanals · Support & information
Waterway safety
Updated 16 September 2026
A planning aid
OnlyCanals uses community mapping and is not an official navigation chart, navigation authority or emergency service. A calculated route is a planning suggestion, not permission to navigate or confirmation that a reach is open or safe. You remain responsible for your vessel and navigation decisions.
Check before travelling
Check current authority notices, closures, access, water levels, tides, weather, bridge clearance and lock and channel dimensions. Compare restrictions with your vessel's length, beam, draught and air draught. Unknown or missing data never means unrestricted passage. Distances, lock counts and arrival times are estimates.
Community reports and forecasts
Live Reports are member observations, not verified official notices. They may be incomplete, wrong, old or unavailable. Wind information is a forecast and may differ from local conditions. Do not rely on either source alone when deciding whether to proceed.
Signal, positioning and batteries
Bundled route and search data and locally saved records can work offline. The default basemap, forecasts and cloud services need a connection. GPS can drift or fail. Keep an alternative means of navigation and communication, and account for battery use, particularly with the screen kept awake.
Stay attentive
Set up the app while safely stopped or ask a crew member to operate it. Keep a proper lookout and follow signs, navigation rules and instructions from the relevant authority. In an emergency use the appropriate emergency services; posting a report does not alert them.