About Us
The seeds of eOceanic were sown through a series of insightful moments spanning decades, all of which began with a post-university backpacking trip around Australia by the founder, Michael Harpur.
One sunny morning on a Queensland beach, as he waited for check-ins at his hostel, his gaze followed the effortless flight of a seagull gliding over the turquoise water. "That's freedom," he mused, watching the gull ride the air currents on outstretched wings. As the thought settled, he was drawn to a lone yacht emerging from behind the headland. Leaning slightly, with two white sails drawn in taut, it cut through the light morning air and glided effortlessly into the heart of the bay. As the couple aboard dropped the sails and began anchoring preparations, eOceanic's founding insight took hold: "No... that is freedom."
A decade later, having left his job on a quest to sail around the world by learning along the way, Michael had progressed as far as Porto. He was in a café gathering as much advice as possible from a seasoned yachtsman. Still a novice, he expressed relief at having passed unscathed through the wide-open and dangerous Bay of Biscay and being in safer coastal hopping waters again. The yachtsman then shared a cautionary tale of a UK yacht caught in severe weather further along Michael's route, just offshore of Lisbon. The exhausted family aboard ran for the surety of protection the capital's large commercial port would offer, which would have been Michael's instinctive response. However, even the largest Portuguese ports are inaccessible in heavy onshore winds. The seas breaking over the access fairway rolled the yacht, and all were lost. "Always remember," the yachtsman cautioned, "the land is the danger."
Another decade later, Michael returned to his family home in County Wexford, Ireland, with his wife and young children. While perusing his county's coverage in the old nautical almanac he had left there, he noticed something he had never seen before. Despite the almanac being the most widely used resource, and his long coastal county occupying a pivotal national corner, the book only listed a handful of harbours. Worse yet, recalling the harsh lesson of the Portuguese tragedy, he realised that practically all the locations detailed, including its sole marina and the principal county town, would prove fatal to approaches during strong onshore conditions.
The final key piece that would complete eOceanic happened the following year, and emerged in a chance conversation with Michael's then neighbour in the UK. Captivated by the concept of freely accessible maritime information, Michael had designed and coded the initial website. However, he began to realise that the technical complexities of his vision were quickly surpassing his abilities. He casually discussed this with his neighbour when, without hesitation, he suggested, "You should get in touch with Michael Sheldon. He went to school with my son. He's a great lad and a technology genius."
Today, Ireland's entire coast and the UK's south coast have been transformed into eOceanic Free Roaming Coastlines. Once offering only a few cruising locations, County Wexford now boasts an impressive network of twenty-five meticulously detailed Havens. These are complemented by Routes that provide the comprehensive pilotage and tidal information necessary to guide vessels between the locations safely. Alongside this is a treasure chest of universally applicable experiences: procedures, inspirations, and tried-and-tested approaches that make boating easier, safer, and more pleasurable.
Among Wexford's Havens lies a long-forgotten square-rigger bolthole: a naturally sheltered location that offers safe access and complete protection in all conditions. This is one of countless such sanctuaries that have been rediscovered for today's mariners. All this invaluable information is freely accessible to the boating community at eOceanic.com, unlocking the coast and its many points of interest for everyone to embrace, explore, and thoroughly enjoy.
For those who wish to truly roam free, there is now a revolutionary eOceanic application. Available through a modest subscription, it enables mariners to download information to their devices and, independent of internet connectivity, utilise a suite of additional resources and enhanced tools to gain a complete informational advantage. This includes the Intelligent Marine Assistance and Guardianship Notifications (IMAaGN) suite, which provides proactive real-time alerts for potential hazards. It delivers critical real-time alerts, such as warning mariners of days when seemingly safe harbours become too dangerous to approach due to onshore winds.
A decade later, having left his job on a quest to sail around the world by learning along the way, Michael had progressed as far as Porto. He was in a café gathering as much advice as possible from a seasoned yachtsman. Still a novice, he expressed relief at having passed unscathed through the wide-open and dangerous Bay of Biscay and being in safer coastal hopping waters again. The yachtsman then shared a cautionary tale of a UK yacht caught in severe weather further along Michael's route, just offshore of Lisbon. The exhausted family aboard ran for the surety of protection the capital's large commercial port would offer, which would have been Michael's instinctive response. However, even the largest Portuguese ports are inaccessible in heavy onshore winds. The seas breaking over the access fairway rolled the yacht, and all were lost. "Always remember," the yachtsman cautioned, "the land is the danger."
Another decade later, Michael returned to his family home in County Wexford, Ireland, with his wife and young children. While perusing his county's coverage in the old nautical almanac he had left there, he noticed something he had never seen before. Despite the almanac being the most widely used resource, and his long coastal county occupying a pivotal national corner, the book only listed a handful of harbours. Worse yet, recalling the harsh lesson of the Portuguese tragedy, he realised that practically all the locations detailed, including its sole marina and the principal county town, would prove fatal to approaches during strong onshore conditions.
The final key piece that would complete eOceanic happened the following year, and emerged in a chance conversation with Michael's then neighbour in the UK. Captivated by the concept of freely accessible maritime information, Michael had designed and coded the initial website. However, he began to realise that the technical complexities of his vision were quickly surpassing his abilities. He casually discussed this with his neighbour when, without hesitation, he suggested, "You should get in touch with Michael Sheldon. He went to school with my son. He's a great lad and a technology genius."
Today, Ireland's entire coast and the UK's south coast have been transformed into eOceanic Free Roaming Coastlines. Once offering only a few cruising locations, County Wexford now boasts an impressive network of twenty-five meticulously detailed Havens. These are complemented by Routes that provide the comprehensive pilotage and tidal information necessary to guide vessels between the locations safely. Alongside this is a treasure chest of universally applicable experiences: procedures, inspirations, and tried-and-tested approaches that make boating easier, safer, and more pleasurable.
Among Wexford's Havens lies a long-forgotten square-rigger bolthole: a naturally sheltered location that offers safe access and complete protection in all conditions. This is one of countless such sanctuaries that have been rediscovered for today's mariners. All this invaluable information is freely accessible to the boating community at eOceanic.com, unlocking the coast and its many points of interest for everyone to embrace, explore, and thoroughly enjoy.
For those who wish to truly roam free, there is now a revolutionary eOceanic application. Available through a modest subscription, it enables mariners to download information to their devices and, independent of internet connectivity, utilise a suite of additional resources and enhanced tools to gain a complete informational advantage. This includes the Intelligent Marine Assistance and Guardianship Notifications (IMAaGN) suite, which provides proactive real-time alerts for potential hazards. It delivers critical real-time alerts, such as warning mariners of days when seemingly safe harbours become too dangerous to approach due to onshore winds.