Smart sailing apps have become must-haves for smooth and safe yacht cruising. They’re accurate, easy to use, and extremely helpful for crucial tasks that ensure both boating safety and cruising holiday bliss (they also save you a ton of space on board that would be otherwise taken up by traditional devices).
Looking for the right boat for your next trip? Borrow A Boat lists 20,000+ boats across 70+ countries, with a Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5 and a best-price guarantee on every booking. Get your free quote here.
Check out some of Team Borrow A Boat’s favorite sailing apps that aim to support smooth navigation on a boat holiday:
- Multiple features
- Weather forecast
- Navigation
- Family and Group Travel
- Mooring and Anchoring
- Booking Marinas
- FAQ
Best multitasking sailing apps with multiple critical features
Savvy Navvy
- It’s like Google Maps for Boats: it includes charts, information on weather, tides, and helps you discover the best places to go sailing
- You can plan and schedule your routes in seconds – the app will help you figure out your course, calculate the time of arrival and even calculate the fuel consumption
- More info and download here
SailGrib WR
- Includes crucial sailing features for weather, tides, currents, routing, nautical charts, NMEA, AIS, anchor alarm, and more
- Features can be downloaded separately
- More info and download here
Best sailing apps for weather
Windy
- Detailed weather forecasts, live world wind map, and local weather reports
- Recognized by the World Meteorological Organization as the best sports and outdoor app
- More info and download here
Windguru
- Live maps with weather conditions and tides
- Data on wind (speed, gusts, direction); waves (height, period, direction); and weather (cloud cover, temperature, precipitation)
- More info and download here
PredictWind
- Clean interface and highly accurate with four forecast models, plus real-time wind conditions
- Suggests best route across wind, waves, and currents as well the best day to set sail
- More info and download here
Best sailing apps for navigation
Navionics
- Detailed nautical charts for cruising, fishing, sailing, diving and more water activities
- Charts can be downloaded and used offline
- More info and download here
Seapilot
- Very user friendly, with up-to-date charts and a social boating feature for group sailing trips
- The basic version is free, while the premium version includes features like weather routing and forecasts
- More info and download here
SeaNav US and SeaNav UK
- Route planning and real-time tracking with configurable layers (rocks, depths, wrecks, etc.) and unique augmented reality view
- Fully functional on the Apple Watch
- More info and download here
Best sailing app for family and group travel
Life360
- Location-sharing app for keeping track of and finding loved ones
- Important in case of separation or if someone gets lost on holiday
- More info and download here
Best sailing apps for mooring and anchoring
Anchor Alarm
- A simple and straightforward anchor guard: get alerts if boat leaves the radius (which can be set and adjusted)
- Search for anchorages in the area where other crews have anchored before
- More info and download here from App Store or Google Play Store
Anchor Pro
- Another simple yet essential app for tracking location and getting alerted if boat starts to drift
- Additional alerts include GPS reception and battery level
- More info and download here from App Store
Best sailing app for finding and booking marinas
Navily
- A leading cruising guide in Europe with contributions on over 50,000 marinas and anchorages helps you easily find and book berth in over 10 countries
- Thousands of photos and comments from a wide community of users
- More info and download here
mySea
- A leading portal for online berth booking, find and reserve berth in marinas, buoy fields, and jetties ahead of time for a quick and simple check-in process
- Offers a best-price guarantee
- More info and download here
Frequently asked questions about sailing apps
Which sailing app is best for weather forecasting at sea?
For weather forecasting at sea, Windy, Windguru, and PredictWind are among the most reliable apps. Windy offers a global live wind map with detailed local reports. Windguru has been the standard for wind and wave data among sailors for years. PredictWind combines four forecast models and suggests the best route based on the conditions.
Which app do I need for navigation on a sailing trip?
Navionics provides detailed nautical charts that can be used offline. Seapilot adds a social-boating feature for group trips, and SeaNav offers an augmented-reality view for direct on-board orientation. For integrated route planning with weather, tides, and boat specifications, Savvy Navvy is a strong modern alternative.
How does an anchor alarm work on a smartphone?
An anchor alarm app like Anchor Alarm or Anchor Pro uses your smartphone’s GPS to monitor the boat’s position. You set a radius around the anchorage, and the app sounds an alert as soon as the boat drifts beyond that area. So you’ll notice at night or in sudden wind if the anchor stops holding.
Which apps let you reserve a marina berth?
Navily and mySea are the two leading apps for online berth booking in Europe. Navily covers over 50,000 marinas and anchorages and includes photos and notes from other crews. mySea handles berth reservations in marinas, mooring fields, and quays, often with a best-price guarantee.
Do sailing apps work without internet on the open sea?
Some sailing apps work offline once you’ve downloaded charts and weather data before setting sail. Navionics stores nautical charts locally, and Savvy Navvy offers offline charts in its premium version. If you rely on regular weather updates, check before booking whether the boat has WiFi or satellite communication.
3 boat holiday tips as helpful as your sailing apps
- Prep for your boat holiday with the ultimate sailing preparation, the checklist for first-time sailors and the sailing for beginners guide.
- Include WiFi with your boat booking to have access to all your online apps throughout your trip and check out other boat holiday extras available for your trip.
- Find excellent offers and savings on sailing holidays through Borrow A Boat’s Super Deals
We hope you love these sailing apps and find them as helpful as we do! And we wish you a very happy (and safe) sailing experience.