The warm weather made for a wonderful season to be out on the water. At the same time, this poses major challenges on Dutch and European waterways.

Water levels in rivers, lakes, and inland waterways are currently extremely low. Shallow areas are forming more quickly than usual, and familiar routes can suddenly become hazardous.

It is precisely under these conditions that an up-to-date and reliable route planner is essential on board.

n the 2026 editions of WinGPS 6, you can easily view waterway obstructions, and if you have an internet connection, they are automatically updated as soon as a change occurs.

The yellow triangles indicate closures across the entire waterway network in Europe. You can click on them for more information. The waterway network is also highlighted in yellow in the areas where a closure is in effect. This allows you to immediately see which sections you may not be able to navigate and to check whether the closure applies to you.  

Our route planner even takes obstructions into account and routes around them.

We’ve created an instructional video for you on this topic: 

Tip: The video is in Dutch, but you can change the subtitles to your own language.

Don't let the drought spoil your boating fun. Update your WinGPS license and DKW charts today so you always have the most up-to-date information on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Good news: there’s a major update for our WinGPS navigation app for iOS WinGPS Marine Plus!

With this paid version of WinGPS for your iPad and/or iPhone, you could already plan routes, connect to AIS, and view your routes, but now you can also: 

• Download and view GRIB-files
• View NL tidal data
• View photo's of bridges and locks
• Import GPX files

and more... So don’t wait any longer and download WinGPS Marine Plus on your iPhone and iPad:

Tip: This is an update for the paid version of WinGPS for iOS. The free version has not received an update.

A complete overview of what's new:

• New Weather & Tides display featuring wind, rain, air pressure, temperature, cloud cover, waves, currents, water levels, and depth, where available. This also includes the familiar NL tides for the Dutch coast, as well as currents extending to the German Bight. 
• View forecasts and tides using the new time control bar.
• Import routes and tracks from GPX files.
• New News Center with unread message notifications.
• View and zoom in on photos of bridges, locks, and other structures.
• Improved “Show on Chart” options and clearer menu navigation.
• Routes now avoid known obstacles by default, after which you can choose to “Ignore obstructions” (under Menu > Settings > My Vessel). This used to work the other way around.
• Clearer progress indicators for chart and data downloads.
• Improved display of the NMEA connection status.
• Improvements to dark mode, startup, account management, and overall stability.