savvy navvy - The Boating App

Published: Friday, December 3, 2021

savvy navvy was founded almost five years ago with one aim: to simplify boating technology. They were baffled at the amount of data sources you needed to get a clear picture of where you were, what the tide was doing, what weather to expect, how to plot your course to steer, and how to find a good anchorage or marina—and then how to share your plans with your buddies and family.

The idea itself was born much earlier, in 2012 in the North Pacific. Founder, Jelte Liebrand, a lifelong sailor and ex Googler, was bouncing around on a racing yacht trying to work out how far off-shore to stay and where to pick up the best winds and currents while sitting in the nav station, which we all know is the worst place to be while at sea.

He thought about the automotive industry, where single use sat navs are rare, paper map books rarer still; where you climb into your car, plug in your phone, and immediately know where the traffic is, where the nearest store and fuel station is, and which route to take. He knew that a similar solution could help boaters, so he spent a few years walking the docks, chatting to fellow sailors, asking what their pain points were and found that others shared his view. So he set about building a better way.

Instead of hardware that is primarily cased in single use plastic that needs to be built and shipped, sometimes needing SD cards (more plastic) which then go out of date, he focused on tech that is already in the hands of most boaters. Turning your phone or tablet into a supercharged chart-plotter seemed like an obvious next step.

Now, with savvy navvy, you simply drop two pins and instantly get a full weather route to reach your destination? More than that! With their latest departure scheduling feature, you can now compare multiple departure times to choose the shortest duration, more favourable conditions, what time of day to arrive, or how much fuel you can save.

What does this mean for Great Lakes boaters? Well, you love being out on the water so it will help you spend more time boating and less time planning. You’re sociable and want to share your experiences so it will give you the ability to plan a route and then share it. It will help you avoid hazards, avoid bad weather, save time, have a more comfortable ride, give you live GPS positioning, and so much more.

It will show you how to find the best anchorages or docks and how to get to them quickly and safely. If you’re a power boater, it shows you the local fuel docks and helps you save money on fuel by using the conditions instead of fighting against them. If you’re a sailor, it’ll show you your tacking and gybing points and help you enjoy a smoother ride (or a more heeled over one if that’s your preference). If you are part of the E-boat generation, it will soon be able to help with range fear by showing you how much battery power you have left and which docks have charging points for you.

You can re-name, save, and then share your favourite routes—or keep them to yourself if you’re looking for some peace and quiet, of course.

It’s been an interesting journey over the last five years, all to make your journey quicker and easier. And the road map ahead is an exciting one! We’re building our own bathymetric and tidal data from satellite imagery, integrating smart boat sensors, and recording and sharing adventures.

savvy navvy really is as simple as Google Maps for boats. Having plotted over 15 million miles of routes and with over 180,000 global users all giving constant feedback, our user response times have to be good.

There are three subscription plans for users, so you choose the features you need. You optimise the app for your own use—sail or power. You get global hydrographic office chart data as standard and an offline feature so you don’t need to worry about losing signal. When you can travel again, you don’t need to buy another data pack; they literally give you the world.

Moving forward, savvy navvy will help to accelerate the changing face of boating. There is a growing expectation now that “smart boats” are the norm. The expectation that there is a seamless solution to link navigation, insurance, marinas, club membership, communications, boat management, and more.

Using your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, savvy navvy can help you optimize your boating experience.