The text your family gets
This is the whole app, really. One text.
Example wording. On a normal day they just get "headed out" and "back, all good."
How it works
- Tap Start and say where you're headed.
An honest back-by time and one line in your own words, like "15 miles northwest out of John's Pass" or "paddleboarding the Treasure Island causeway until sunset." Then put the phone away. - Your family follows along on a live map.
They get a private link by text. It opens in any phone's browser. No app, no login. - Running late? They get your last position and what to do.
The overdue check runs on our server, so it goes out even if your phone dies or loses signal.
Plug it into your AI
Already plan with Claude, ChatGPT or Meta's Muse? Connect Headed In and your assistant gets what it can't find online: live Tampa Bay boating info.
Ask it like a dock buddy
"Closest ramp with a short line?" "Where can I get diesel near Pass-a-Grille?" "Is Fort De Soto packed right now?" It answers from live ramp waits, 62 public fuel docks and boaters' reports from the last few hours.
It drafts your float plan
Tell it the plan in plain words. It hands back a link that opens Headed In with the boxes filled in. You check it and start the trip yourself. No AI can start, change or end a trip.
It plans the whole day
Our Tampa Bay picks, story trails and Wind Phone booths, then a link that opens the plan right in the app.
It writes your log
After a trip, tap Write my log and get two to four plain sentences from the trip's facts. Spot names only, never coordinates, and only if you say yes.
Connect it: in Claude, Settings > Connectors > Add custom connector. In ChatGPT, Settings > Connectors (developer mode) > Create. In Meta's Muse, ask it to "create a custom connector for Headed In" with the link below (full description: headedin.com/openapi.json). Paste this:
https://ximqrtwomcoiiabacdws.supabase.co/functions/v1/agent
The connector only shares public info: our picks, ramps, fuel docks and anonymous totals. It never sees your trips, contacts or where you've been.
On your calendar, on your schedule
Best days for you
Tell it your usual days off. It picks the three best of the next 30 for moon and tide, or for a low-water sandbar day, and adds the one you want to your calendar.
Plan ahead, in one tap
Plan today, tomorrow or the weekend. The whole outing goes on your calendar as one event with a reminder, and a text sends it to the crew.
Morning brief
One quiet note between 5 and 8 AM on the days you pick: moon window, morning wind, first tide turn and sunrise.
Reminders that matter
A tide alarm before high or low, and engine service reminders a week before the oil change is due.
Don't take our word for it
Play a made-up trip: a normal day, a late one, a dead zone with a dead phone, and a HELP tap. Drag the clock and watch the map and the texts change.
See it workFree forever
The overdue alert is free, forever. That's the part that matters, and it will never cost you anything. During the beta, everything is free.
Your spots stay yours
Your saved spots, routes and catch log stay on your phone. We never learn where they are. A lot of fishing and chart apps turn what you upload into a community map. We don't upload your spots at all. Your trip track goes only to the people you picked, so they can find you, and deleting the trip deletes it.
Run charters? Your marks are your living. We don't want them. We want you home.
FAQ
Does Headed In call the Coast Guard?
No. It texts your family with your last position and what to do next. They're the ones who know you, your boat, and where you launched.
What's a float plan, and why does it matter?
It's telling someone where you're going and when you'll be back. When you start a trip, Headed In asks "Where are you headed?" Your answer shows on your family's map and goes into the overdue text, because "where were they headed?" is the first thing the Coast Guard asks. A good plan says where you launched, where you're going, and anything that might change it: "Out of John's Pass, 15 miles NW to the reef, back through the pass by 5."
Kayaks and paddleboards too?
Yes. Anything you take out on the water works the same way: start at the launch, say where you're headed, and keep the phone in a waterproof pouch. Paddlers often stay closer to shore, which usually means better signal.
Why not just use the iPhone's built-in Check In?
Apple's Check In is a good feature if you and your contact both have it: it needs iOS 17 on both phones. Headed In works when your family is on any phone (the map opens in a browser, no app or login), asks where you're headed and when you'll be back, knows about kayaks and paddleboards and every public launch in Florida, and sends the overdue text from our server, so it still goes out if your phone dies.
Is it really free?
Yes. The overdue alert is free forever, and everything is free during the beta.
Do I have to set up the family texts?
No. The chart, weather, tides, games and stories all work without anyone getting a text. Texts only go out when you start a trip and pick who gets them. Coming in the next update: My Day follows your whole day on your phone and builds the story and a flyover that night. Nobody gets a text.
What happens when I'm overdue, exactly?
15 minutes after your back-by time with no check-in, your family gets a text with your last known position, your boat, how many are aboard, and a link to your live trip map. If there's still no word 45 minutes later, they get a firmer second text with everything a 911 or Coast Guard dispatcher will ask for. Before any of that, your phone reminds you, so a simple "running late" never alarms anyone.
What if I lose cell signal offshore?
Your family still sees your last reported position on the map, your phone keeps recording, and the track uploads when signal comes back. The overdue text doesn't need your phone. Full details: when you lose signal.
Does it drain my battery?
It only uses GPS during a trip you start, and it checks in less often when your battery runs low. A long day on the water still uses battery, so start charged. We're measuring real numbers during the beta.
Will you see my fishing spots?
No. Saved spots, routes and your catch log are kept only on your phone. (If you ask the AI to write your trip log, it gets the names of spots you passed, never where they are.) During a trip, the people you picked see where the boat is, and nobody else. We don't sell or share tracks, and we never turn anyone's trips into a map of spots. The only thing we count is how many boats are at the public sandbars, as a number, so people can see how crowded they are.
What do you do with my location?
It's shared only during a trip, and only with the people you choose. That's it. See the Privacy Policy.
iPhone only?
iPhone first. Android is planned. Your family can be on any phone: the map opens in the browser.
Someone I know is overdue. What do I do?
Read our guide: Someone's overdue. Now what?
Tampa Bay beta: 20 spots.
You run offshore. Your people worry. Help us get this right before we open it wider.
Join the betaOr open it in your browser: the chart, forecasts, Play and the planning tools. Check-ins need the phone app.
Built in Tampa Bay
Designed on the water in Tampa Bay, for the people who boat here. Free, local, and built by a St. Pete nurse whose family watches the horizon too.
Privacy, in plain English
Your location is shared only during a trip, and only with the people you choose. We don't sell data. There's nothing to sell.
About the texts
- Who sends them
- Headed In, on behalf of a boater who added you as a trip contact.
- How you opt in
- The boater asks you first, then adds your mobile number in the app. You get one text asking you to reply YES. Nothing else is sent unless you reply YES.
- What you get
- A text with a map link when the boater heads out, a text when they're back, and an alert if they're overdue, need help, or their phone battery is low. Usually 2 to 4 texts per trip. Never marketing.
- Stop or help
- Reply STOP to any text to stop all texts. Reply HELP for help. Message and data rates may apply.
- Your number
- We don't sell or share phone numbers or opt-in data with anyone for marketing. See the Privacy Policy and Terms.