We’ve discussed Cruising Wikis recently—here, here, and here—mentioning ActiveCaptain and CaptainWiki specifically.

It turns out these aren’t the only contenders, though. I’ve recently learned about two new players, CruiserLog.com and MyCruisingLog.com.

Each of these new offerings is distinct from what’s already available. Competition is generally a good thing, but in the end, I think we’ll see the majority of users gravitate toward just one cruising wiki. There’s only one Wikipedia. If there were four, there’s a good chance none of them would really be very good.

But I could be wrong. Let’s talk about the new offerings.

CruiserLog, shown above, has launched the World Cruising Wiki, focusing on long-range bluewater cruisers. It discusses world ports, check-in procedures, immigration and customs, marinas, anchorages, ocean passages, world cruisers’ radio nets, etc.

Because the user base is so much smaller than for a general-interest cruising wiki, it should be more difficult to generate the critical mass needed to give the wiki its own momentum.

On the other hand, the World Cruising Wiki serves a community of cruisers that really depend on one another for support and current information in a way coastal cruisers don’t. So despite the smaller user base, it’s likely that the individuals will be a lot more motivated to participate in this wiki community.

Meanwhile, Stefan and Alicia Elvstad have kicked off MyCruisingLog.com. I spoke with Alicia at the boat show, and learned that their approach is also different. Imagine a cruising wiki built into an PC navigation application.

The navigation component supports NOAA raster and vector charts, handles routes, tracking, range/bearing display, and interfaces with other marine electronics via NMEA. So far, so good.

But it ALSO offers integrated full-text search of chart features, a business directory, and the cruising guide wiki.

This is surely the shape of things to come. If you’ve got a computer on board, you want a good navigation application. And you want up-to-date reference content about the places you plan to visit. Integrating these two tools is the obvious next step.

I remain convinced that ten years from now, we’ll regard this as obvious and indispensable, the way we think about GPS now. Some of us might only make use of it at home for trip planning, and some will use it aboard, updating content in realtime to reflect changes in local conditions.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: “Good luck to all, and may the best Wiki win!”