Navig8 is a sailing route planner and on-board navigation app. It keeps your route in navigable water deep enough for your yacht, overlays weather forecasts (wind, waves, swell, currents, tides) on it and optimises it for your boat.
Key features include:
Yes. Navig8 is available as a web app and as a mobile app for iOS and Android ("Navig8 Sailing" in the App Store and Google Play). Routes, trips and settings sync between them through your account. The web app is the comfortable place to plan on a large screen; the mobile app adds GPS, offline maps, the anchor alarm, trip recording, location sharing and the SOS screen.
Mobile A short tour runs on first start and names the main buttons. You can run it again from the help window (? button or Main menu β Help).
No. Without an account you can plan up to 5 new routes a day (routes up to 1,500 Nm, as on every plan), fetch wind, waves and currents, run route optimisation up to 5 times a day, use GPS and the anchor alarm in the mobile app, view the route summary and export/import routes as .json files. A free account adds:
Bathymetry, seabed types, marina and seamark details and AIS vessels need a PRO account β see the plan comparison.
Web Turn on Edit mode (pencil button in the top bar), then click on the map to place waypoints. You can also right-click the map and choose Add route point here β this works with edit mode off too.
Mobile Open the route tools (bottom-left button) and turn on edit mode with the pencil β it sits right above the route tools button. Then tap the map. You can also long-press anywhere on the map and choose Add waypoint.
Navig8 checks every leg against land and against water too shallow for your draft. When a new waypoint would take a leg over land, it tries to route around it automatically. Where navig8 has no shallow-water data yet, only land is checked: the app says so once per route, and Route Information (mobile) and the side panel (web) count and mark such legs β online just as offline without downloaded maps (mobile app 1.26+).
Insert a waypoint into a leg: in edit mode a small circle sits in the middle of every leg β click or tap it to add a waypoint there. It is adjustable, so the optimisation may move it.
Mobile Start from where you are: when you add the first waypoint and the phone knows its position on the water, the app asks whether the route starts at the tapped point or at your current position.
Web Right-click a waypoint marker, or remove it from the waypoint list in the side panel. Clicking a waypoint opens its tooltip with a Remove button.
Mobile Tap a waypoint to select it β a panel with Remove appears. Undo in the route tools removes the last change.
Web Drag the waypoint marker to a new position β edit mode is not needed. While you drag, dashed legs to the neighbouring waypoints show where the route will go. If a leg would then cross land or shallows, Navig8 routes around it and adds adjustable waypoints, just as when you add a point.
Mobile Press and hold the waypoint until you feel a short vibration and drag it — it does not need to be selected first. While you drag, dashed legs to the neighbouring waypoints show where the route will go; the water check runs when you let go.
A waypoint can be fixed (yellow outline) or adjustable. Optimisation keeps fixed waypoints exactly where they are β use it for a harbour entrance, a mark you must round or a place you want to stop β and may move adjustable ones. The start and the finish are fixed by default. Mobile Tap a waypoint and use Make fixed / Make adjustable. Web Click a waypoint and use Make fixed / Make adjustable in its tooltip (double-click still works).
After adding, removing or moving a waypoint, the direct line between two points passes over land (or water too shallow for your draft). Navig8 tries to route around it automatically when you add or move a waypoint; if that does not succeed, adjust the waypoints by hand.
When a waypoint lands in water too shallow for your draft, or a leg crosses such water, the warning has a Show shallows on map button. It switches on the Too shallow for my yacht layer, so you can see where to move the point. Mobile If the region is not downloaded, the app also opens the list of offline maps with that region selected (mobile app 1.26+).
Web Route menu β Clear.
Mobile Route tools β bin icon.
Web Use the Ruler and Search buttons in the top bar.
Mobile Open the tools group (bottom-right) β it holds the ruler, map search, zoom buttons and the button that hides the interface. Drag either end of the ruler; the line and the distance follow your finger. Search finds marinas, seamarks and coastal towns by name.
Search finds coastal towns, marinas and named seamarks anywhere in the navig8 area, for every plan. Accents can be left out: swinoujscie finds ΕwinoujΕcie, leba finds Εeba (mobile app 1.26+).
A route can be up to 1,500 Nm long, on every plan. A single leg (between two consecutive waypoints) calculated online by the navig8 server can be up to 200 Nm β on the web always, in the mobile app when the phone has no downloaded maps for the area or Prefer API routing when online is on. Above the limit the app shows a message and does not place the waypoint.
Mobile From app version 1.26, a leg calculated on the phone on downloaded maps has no separate limit, only the route limit. Downloading maps needs a free account; when a leg is too long, the app tells you what to do.
Without an account you can start 5 new routes and run 5 route optimisations a day. A route counts when its first leg is computed; clearing it and drawing it again within two minutes does not count as a new one, and loading a saved route or a .json file never counts. When the limit is reached, the app offers to create a free account, which removes it.
Online, the navig8 server searches for a way round land and shallows for every leg, and very long legs would take it too long, so a leg calculated online can be up to 200 Nm. Add a waypoint in between, or let the phone calculate the leg.
Mobile From app version 1.26: create a free account, download the maps of the area (Map menu β Manage maps) and check that Prefer API routing when online (Settings β Advanced) is off. The phone then calculates the leg on the downloaded maps, up to the 1,500 Nm route limit. When the leg has to go round land far from the straight line (e.g. Croatia to Corsica round Italy), the app works out which maps lie on the way and names the ones you are missing.
Along the route and at your position:
Across the whole map: wind, air temperature, wave height, precipitation and visibility (fog).
At a single point: Web Weather menu β Check weather at selected point; Mobile long-press the map and choose the weather action. Or right-click the map β Check weather at selected point.
Web Open the Weather menu and switch on the data you want.
Mobile Tap the weather button (bottom right) and switch on the data you want. Tap a section heading to fold it into one row of icons.
Route data needs at least one route leg, or your position in the mobile app.
The forecast models are typically updated every 6 hours. Mobile Settings β Advanced β Weather data on this device shows when each layer was downloaded and which model run it came from (all times in UTC).
Wind speed on the route is colour-coded by the Beaufort scale: 0 = white, 1 = light blue, 2 = cyan, 3 = light green, 4 = green, 5 = lime, 6 = yellow, 7 = gold, and red from 34 kn (8 and above) β the same threshold as the route risks and the leg list.
Yes, up to 48 hours ahead. Web Route menu β Start. Mobile In the route optimisation window. The weather at each waypoint is then taken for the estimated time you reach it. All times are shown in UTC.
The optimiser adjusts your route to minimise the passage time for your yacht, taking into account the yacht's polar (speed vs. wind angle), wind speed and direction, currents, and wave height and period β each forecast for the time you are expected on that leg. Speeds, tacks and the engine threshold use the wind the sails actually feel: the forecast wind minus the current, which in a strong tidal stream differs by several knots. The route summary still shows the forecast wind; the angle to the wind is measured from the heading you steer. It keeps the route in water deep enough for your draft and leaves fixed waypoints where they are.
Web Route menu β Optimize route. Mobile Route tools β magic-wand button.
The route summary (Web Route menu β Route summary; Mobile route tools β i) shows each leg with its forecast, speeds and charts.
After every optimisation Navig8 checks the route for: rocks, wrecks and obstructions close to the track (0.2 NM on open water, 0.1 NM among dense rocks or in shallow water), stretches through or within 0.1 NM of water shallower than your draft plus 1 m or of a restricted area, and stretches with strong wind (34 kn or more), high waves on the beam or on the bow (2.5 m or more) or a strong opposing current (over 2 kn) at the time you sail them. The check runs in the background, so the optimised route appears straight away. Editing the route afterwards marks the list as out of date until you optimise again.
Web Route menu β Route summary, section Risks on the route. PRO shows every risk with its route miles, distance and time β click one to see it on the map; free accounts and visitors see how many were found. Shallows are checked only when you are signed in β a free account is enough. Rocks and wrecks come from OpenStreetMap and are incomplete, shallows from EMODnet: a route with no risks listed is not necessarily safe and the list does not replace official charts.
Mobile Route tools β i, section Risks on the route β tap a risk to see it on the map. Offline, shallows are checked only in downloaded regions (Map menu β Manage maps).
Yes. In the engine options you can choose Engine when wind below a given speed, No tacking (motor upwind instead of tacking), Engine only, or Start and finish under engine for a given distance from the harbour. Legs under engine are drawn in purple and use your engine cruising speed (Yacht β Engine speed; by default the typical speed for your yacht type).
Web Route menu β engine options. Mobile In the route optimisation window.
The forecast reaches about 5 days (120 h). The optimiser works only as far as you are expected to sail within it β beyond that a forecast is no basis for tactics. The rest of the route stays as you drew it, with no weather and an estimated arrival time (marked β) at the average speed of the optimised part. A message says how far the optimisation reached, the same line is in the route summary, and a clock icon on the map marks the end of the forecast. Optimise again closer to departure or under way, when a newer forecast reaches further.
If you plan to leave after the forecast ends, the route cannot be optimised yet.
Speed through water depends on your boat's polar diagram β the relationship between boat speed, wind speed and wind angle. Choose your yacht before optimising (see Location & yacht).
Mobile Yes β for downloaded regions, using the route weather already stored on the phone. Fetch the route weather while you still have a connection.
Yes. Turn on edit mode and add, remove or move waypoints freely, then optimise again. Mobile Undo in the route tools steps back through your changes.
Mobile GPS starts when the app launches (the app asks for permission on first use). Your position is shown on the map and its coordinates in the tile at the top of the screen. Tap the tile to centre the map on the boat and follow it; tap again or move the map to stop. While the map follows the boat, the compass button switches between north up and course up. GPS can be switched off in Settings β Location & recording. If the fix is lost, the tile says since when and a tap restarts GPS.
Web Yacht menu β Location. This shows the position sent by the mobile app logged into the same account, when location sharing is on there.
Login required Mobile Main menu β Location sharing:
While sharing is on, an icon in the location tile says so.
Web Yacht menu: yacht model, name, draft, engine speed and the Mayday data.
Mobile Main menu β Yacht: name and skipper; model, length, beam, draft and engine speed; and the Mayday data (MMSI, call sign, persons on board).
The draft keeps routes out of water that is too shallow for you, so set it before you plan anything. The model and its polar decide the speeds the optimiser uses. Length and beam are for your reference only. With an account, all of it is saved and synced between your devices.
The anchor alarm watches your position at anchor. If the boat drifts outside a set radius from the point where the alarm was armed, an audible and visual alarm goes off.
Mobile GPS must be on. Drop anchor, then tap the anchor button in the right-hand column and confirm the checklist. Your current position becomes the centre of the watch circle; a bar under the location tile shows the radius, the distance from the anchor point and whether everything the alarm needs is in place (tap it for details).
Set the radius (up to 150 m) in Settings β Anchor alarm. A good starting point is the length of chain you paid out plus a margin.
Very important: allow background location, keep the sound on and, ideally, keep the phone on a charger.
Login required Yes. Turn on Settings β Anchor alarm β Alert my other devices on the phone left on board. When its alarm goes off, the same alarm sounds on your other devices signed in to the same account β e.g. the phone you take ashore. Both devices need a network connection and notifications allowed; the list of registered devices is in the same place.
Yes, provided the app may run in the background. Do not force-close it. Some phones apply battery-saving limits the app cannot override β test the alarm in a safe moment before relying on it. Settings β Location & recording β Keep app running in background keeps it awake at all times, at the cost of more battery.
Mobile The red SOS button (top left) opens the emergency screen: local emergency numbers for your position and a Mayday call prepared from your yacht data, ready to read out on VHF channel 16 β by you or by any crew member.
The first number is the general emergency number 112 (999 in the UK) β it works with any SIM card across Europe; ask for the coastguard or sea rescue. Below it, where navig8 has a confirmed one, is the direct number of the country's sea rescue service. The numbers are checked against official sources once a year. On the open sea, without coverage, use VHF channel 16 or DSC.
Fill in the Mayday data beforehand (Main menu β Yacht): yacht name, skipper, MMSI, call sign and persons on board. Your current position is added automatically.
Mobile The logbook records your track while sailing: position points with timestamps, distance sailed, elapsed time, and the weather (wind, waves, currents) interpolated for each point when available. Trips can be viewed on the map and exported as CSV or GPX.
Mobile GPS must be on. Main menu β Start recording trip, then choose a new trip or continue the last one. While recording, a red REC button is shown under SOS β tap it to see how long the trip has been running and to stop it (or use Main menu β Stop recording).
Positions are recorded every 1, 5 or 15 minutes β Settings β Location & recording β Logbook position frequency.
Yes, with background location allowed. Do not force-close the app during a trip. Some phones limit background activity to save battery β test recording in a safe moment before relying on it.
Every trip is saved on the device first β recording has no limit, with or without a connection. Trips go to the cloud when a connection is available, oldest first; the cloud holds 7 trips on a free account and 100 on PRO. Main menu β Logbook (mobile) shows each trip's status: in the cloud, waiting to upload, only on this phone, or only in the cloud (a trip from the cloud is saved to the phone the first time you open it). The user menu (web) lists the trips in the cloud.
Mobile Nothing is lost: trips that do not fit stay on the phone. To make room, delete a trip from the cloud β Only from the cloud keeps it on the phone β then tap Upload next to the trip you want there; Refresh sends waiting trips oldest first. A PRO account holds up to 100 trips in the cloud.
The app keeps retrying in the background and recording resumes once GPS returns. The location tile shows since when there has been no fix; tapping it restarts GPS.
Login required Web User menu β Save route. Mobile Main menu β Save route.
Give the route a name. It is linked to your account and available on every device. FREE accounts can keep 5 saved routes, PRO accounts 50.
Login required Web User menu β Load route. Mobile Main menu β Load route. The list is also kept on the phone, so it opens without a connection.
Routes can be exported to a .json file and imported back, without an account. Web User menu β Export route / Import route. Mobile Main menu β Routes β Export / Import.
Mobile Map menu (map button, right-hand column) β Manage maps. Pick the sea areas you sail from the list or tap them on the map, and apply. A region brings:
A download can be stopped at any time; a downloaded region is removed by pressing and holding its cloud icon. Downloading regions needs an account β FREE or PRO.
Mobile The app keeps a copy of the global forecast (wind, air temperature, waves, precipitation, visibility) on the phone. It is downloaded over any connection β Wi-Fi or mobile data, a few tens of megabytes for the full five days, so mind roaming charges β and refreshed once it is more than 12 hours old and a newer model run is published. Route weather you fetched stays on the phone until you fetch new data for the route, so you can check it β and optimise with it β at sea.
Mobile Yes. In downloaded regions, waypoints and legs are checked on the phone just as online. Offline drawing mode (Settings β Advanced) skips all water checks β use it only when normal planning is not possible, because such a route may cross land.
Mobile With a connection you see the online chart. Without one, the app switches to the offline chart only where you have downloaded a region, and back to the online chart a few seconds after the connection returns. Outside your regions it keeps showing the map parts saved while you were looking at them, and a message under the position tile says so, with a button to Offline maps. Like the message about how a route was computed, it folds after a few seconds into a narrow tab at the left edge of the screen: tap the tab to read it again, or βΉ to fold it yourself. It stays until the connection is back.
You can choose yourself: Map menu β Base map: Auto, Online (always the online chart, also without a connection) or Offline (always your downloaded regions, also with a connection).
Without an account regions cannot be downloaded, so offline you only see saved map parts, and routes are checked against a simplified coastline without depth checks. The weather copy, seamark icons, GPS and the anchor alarm still work. A free account lets you download offline maps.
Settings changed without a connection are sent to your account when the connection returns. If the same setting was changed on another device in the meantime, the app asks which value to keep.
Mobile Quick reference:
| Feature | Offline | Online |
|---|---|---|
| Base chart | β * | β |
| Route planning with land and depth checks | β * | β |
| Route optimisation | β ** | β |
| Global weather layers | β *** | β |
| Fetching new route weather and tides | β | β |
| GPS, anchor alarm, trip recording | β | β |
| Anchor alarm on your other devices | β | β |
| Bathymetry and seabed types PRO | β * | β * |
| Seamark icons on the map | β **** | β |
| Marina & port icons on the map (app 1.26+) | β **** | β |
| Marina details, seamark details & light animation PRO | β **** | β |
| Nearby AIS vessels PRO | β | β |
| Saved routes list | β **** | β |
| Saving routes to the cloud, location sharing | β | β |
| Settings | β | β |
* In downloaded regions.
** In downloaded regions, with route weather fetched earlier.
*** The copy stored on the phone.
**** As last synced.
The main menu button shows the connection to Navig8's servers: yellow while checking, red when they cannot be reached.
Mobile On the sign-in screen choose Continue with email β Create account, or sign in with Google or Apple. Web User menu β Login. With e-mail, confirm the registration with the link we send you.
Check your spam folder first β e-mails from navig8.pro sometimes land there. If the activation e-mail is not there either, try to sign in: when the address is not confirmed yet, the sign-in screen offers Resend activation e-mail (once a minute). The same link is shown right after you create the account. For a password reset, tap Reset your password again. An account created in the mobile app (1.26+) is confirmed on a navig8.pro page β then return to the app and sign in.
Mobile Settings β General β Language (on the sign-in screen: the globe icon). On first start the app uses your device language if it is one of the six supported ones. Web Settings. When you are logged in, the choice is saved to your account.
Open your account (Main menu β Account on mobile, the user menu on the web) and choose the upgrade. PRO costs 19.99β¬ per year; new subscribers can start with a free 3-day trial. It unlocks the features marked PRO in the comparison table.
At any time, from your account screen β account deletion. All your data is deleted with it. Deleting the account does not cancel a PRO subscription β cancel it first (navig8.pro, App Store or Google Play); the app reminds you and offers Manage subscription (mobile app 1.26+).
Use our contact form β we read every report.
Bathymetry draws water depth on the chart as isobaths and soundings (base chart © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors, seamarks OpenSeaMap). It helps you find shallows, judge an anchorage and plan harbour approaches.
The Too shallow for my yacht layer hatches the water shallower than your draft, together with restricted areas such as wind farms. Route planning keeps out of these areas too, with one exception: the way into a marina may cross hatched water, because the depth there is not guaranteed. Watch your depth sounder and check local pilot books. It is available on every plan when you are signed in, FREE and PRO, and stays off until you switch it on. The hatching shows from zoom level 8 and follows your draft as soon as you change it in the yacht settings. Shallows are mapped down to 4 m, so with a deeper draft the layer shows the 4 m area. Depths come from EMODnet and are not corrected for the tide.
Web Map menu β Too shallow for my yacht. The data for the regions in view downloads as you move the map; up to four regions are drawn at a time.
Mobile Map menu β Map layers β Too shallow for my yacht (mobile app 1.26+). The layer comes with the regions downloaded under Manage maps and works with or without a connection. Where the region is not downloaded, the menu shows Download the region to see shallows.
Web Right-click the map and choose Show info about this point. Mobile Press and hold the map and tap the i button.
The panel shows the position and, when your location is known, the distance from you. When you are signed in, the row Your yacht, with your draft in brackets (mobile app 1.26+), tells you whether your yacht fits there: Too shallow or restricted, Deep enough or Land, also with the layer switched off. Outside the navig8 area, or offline outside your downloaded regions, it says No shallows data here. PRO PRO also shows the depth (with bathymetry switched on) and the seabed type.
From EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network). Coverage: European waters β the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Baltic and the Atlantic coast of Europe, including the British Isles.
Web Map menu β Bathymetric maps.
Mobile Download your sea areas under Map menu β Manage maps, then switch on Map menu β Map layers β Bathymetry. The layer shows only what is on the phone, so it works with or without a connection.
PRO Bathymetry is available to PRO accounts.
Web Yes, on every plan, including without an account. Map menu β Load chart (.mbtiles) and pick a raster .mbtiles file (PNG, JPG or WebP tiles, e.g. exported for OpenCPN or from SAS.Planet). The chart is drawn under your route and the map zooms to it. The file stays in your browser β nothing is uploaded to navig8. One chart at a time; after reloading the page, load it again. Vector .mbtiles are not supported. Works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox; Safari may refuse large files. Not available in the mobile app. Your browser's copy of a chart is deleted once it is closed in every tab.
Marinas and ports are shown on the map for everyone, also without an account (mobile app 1.26+). Tap one to see its name and type. PRO adds the details β VHF channel, maximum draft, tides, amenities and contact β and adds the marina to your route with one tap. Web Map menu β Marinas & ports. Mobile Map menu β Marinas & ports. Fuel stations (PRO) can be highlighted in the same menu.
Marina markers appear from zoom level 7 and closer. Zoom in on your destination and they show up.
Buoys, beacons, lights and other aids to navigation, from OpenSeaMap. Tap one for its details; lit marks come with an IALA light simulation showing the colour and rhythm to expect at night. Seamark details and the light simulation are part of PRO. Mobile Seamarks and marinas are stored on the phone and also shown offline.
The seabed layer shows what the bottom is made of β sand, mud, rock, gravel or weed. Holding depends strongly on it, so it helps you choose an anchorage. Data: EMODnet, European waters (same coverage as bathymetry).
Web Map menu β Seabed types. PRO Right-click the map β Show info about this point for the depth and seabed at a point (from the layers that are switched on).
Mobile Map menu β Manage maps: switch on seabed types above the list and download a region; then Map menu β Map layers β Seabed types. Long-press the map for the depth and seabed at a point.
AIS (Automatic Identification System) is the tracking system used by ships. Navig8 shows vessels near you as magenta arrows pointing along their course over ground, updated about every 2 minutes. Vessels slower than 0.5 kn, or without a known course, are shown as dots. Tap a vessel for its name, type, MMSI, speed, course and the age of the data (red when older than 30 minutes).
Location must be on first. Web Map menu β Show vessels in my area. Mobile Map menu β Nearby AIS vessels.
| Feature | Guest | FREE | PRO |
|---|---|---|---|
| New routes per day | 5 | no limit | no limit |
| Route optimisations per day | 5 | no limit | no limit |
| Maximum route length | 1,500 Nm | 1,500 Nm | 1,500 Nm |
| Maximum single leg length | 200 Nm | 200 Nm online; no separate limit on downloaded maps (mobile app 1.26+) | 200 Nm online; no separate limit on downloaded maps (mobile app 1.26+) |
| Wind, waves & currents forecast | β | β | β |
| Route optimisation, incl. engine options | β | β | β |
| Route summary with charts | β | β | β |
| Risks on the route (rocks, shallows, strong wind, waves, current) | count only (no shallows) | count only | β |
| Shallows for your draft: Too shallow for my yacht layer and Point info (mobile app 1.26+) | β | β | β |
| Offline maps: chart, shallows, route planning (mobile app) | β | β | β |
| GPS, anchor alarm, SOS screen (mobile app) | β | β | β |
| Export / import route as .json file | β | β | β |
| Saved routes in the cloud | β | 5 | 50 |
| Tides & swell | β | β | β |
| Location sharing (account & links) | β | β | β |
| Logbook (trip recording) | β | β (7 trips in the cloud) | β (100 trips in the cloud) |
| Anchor alarm on your other devices | β | β | β |
| Bathymetry (online and offline) | β | β | β |
| Marina & port icons on the map (mobile app 1.26+) | β | β | β |
| Marina details & navigate to marina, seamark details (IALA light simulation), fuel stations | β | β | β |
| Seabed types (experimental, Europe) | β | β | β |
| Nearby AIS vessels | β | β | β |
PRO: 19.99β¬ per year, with a free 3-day trial for new subscribers.
Only what is needed to provide the service:
.json files never reach our servers.This data is visible only to you β and your position to the people you send a sharing link to. You can delete your account with all its data at any time from the account screen.
No advertising data or third-party tracking is collected.
Mobile Only if you allow it: anonymous crash and error diagnostics help us fix stability problems faster. Switch it on or off at any time in Settings β Advanced β Error reporting (Sentry).
Mobile GPS starts with the app so your position is shown on the map; this stays on your phone. You can switch it off in Settings β Location & recording. Location sharing and trip recording are separate steps you always start yourself.
Web The web app does not use your device's GPS. It only shows a position sent by the mobile app while sharing is on.