My package would allow me to place these in folders too, and to drag and sort them as I see fit. It would also support GPX technology, so that I could freely import and export these little jewels between programs and machines (I have traditional plotters onboard, and a small collection of hand-held devices and a lot of boating friends).

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Of course, the ultimate software application would support GRIB weather downloads and give me tide and current information, without having to download some additional program.

It would also integrate with a wide variety of hardware, including GPS, AIS, Radar, weather instrumentation and sensors of all kinds. Integrating these instruments–often a major headache–would be easily accomplished with elegant wizards to guide me through it.Fugawi; Northpoint SystemsFugawi Marine ENC's Google earth plug-in show chart and satellite image side-by-side, helping define a poorly-marked Bahamian channel.

My program would use this hardware in traditional ways, such as radar overlay with alarm capabilities. But it would also add innovative functions, the way TIKI Navigator Pro did when it added its BuddyTracking feature. BuddyTracking leverages the program's AIS capabilities and allows the user to track specific boats–your buddies–whether they are on your chart or another. Very cool.

I would also want a really good trip calculator that allowed me to plot arrival times and other useful information for a trip, then reverse it for the journey home. The Capn does that. And, because I'm a power boat guy, I'd want a fuel calculator like the one in NavSim's BoatCruiser, which takes some basic pieces of information and does the math for you.

And finally, my ultimate program would give me a little bit of raw cool–something like Fugawi Marine ENC's integration with Google Earth. For the uninitiated, Google Earth is a free web application that provides access to satellite imagery worldwide. The images vary in quality and they are not viewed in real time, but the interface is exquisite. In minutes, I was able to zoom in tight enough on my back yard to see that, at the time the image was shot, my nanny was double parked.

Fugawi Marine ENC harnessed Google's free technology with a plug-in that allows users to download a satellite image of their current location. The program allows you to view images next to a chart on a split screen, save the images on your hard drive–even upload waypoints and routes to Google Earth with a single click. Raw cool.

ASSESSMENT

Of course, all of this is just for fun, a romp through the products we have reviewed so far that touches on some of the highlights. You can read the reviews for specifics. It's all there, and there are more to come in January.

It may also get you thinking about your own list of needs which, though it will certainly be less greedy than this fanciful sleigh ride, is an important first step to buying software.

Like Santa himself, there is no ultimate piece of software. As with most things on a boat–or even the boat itself–making a purchase involves a series of compromises. You can spend $150 or $1,500, and you still won't have every single feature you want. But there are many products on both sides of that spectrum that will get the job done well.

And there is another consideration: These programs are getting better at an amazing clip. Fifteen years ago, most of us were working on machines with 20 megabytes of disk space and no Internet connection. Only well-funded racing teams and commercial captains had anything that resembled a PC onboard. Now, we count storage space in the hundreds of gigabytes, transmit over broadband and onboard computers are routine. We also have more than a dozen full-featured navigation applications to choose from.

With each small upgrade–and some of these software companies are improving their applications monthly–these navigation programs are getting better. What will they look like 15 years from now? I'm not sure any of us can answer that. But it is fun to think about–especially at Christmas.