Navigating the sea is an adventure, but it comes with its challenges. Whether you're a seasoned sailor or just starting your journey, having the right tools can make all the difference. When embarking on sailing holidays, preparation is key to ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience. From reliable navigation equipment to understanding local weather patterns, every detail contributes to a successful voyage.
Whether you're setting sail along the stunning Adriatic coast, exploring hidden coves, or island-hopping on a well-planned sailing holiday, the right preparation enhances both safety and enjoyment. With the perfect blend of adventure and relaxation, your time on the water becomes truly unforgettable.
Sailing Holidays: Navigate the Sea with Confidence
At Navi Croatia, we've carefully selected the must-have apps that will enhance your experience on the water—keeping you safe, informed, and ready for anything the sea throws your way.
Nis
The nIS app, developed by the Croatian Ministry of the Sea, Transport, and Infrastructure, stands for "Nautical Information Service" and is available in multiple languages, including Croatian, Slovenian, English, German, Italian, French, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish, and Russian.
Designed for those who spend a lot of time at sea, nIS focuses on navigation safety, pollution prevention, and search and rescue services. If you call the toll-free search and rescue number (195), your location is automatically shared, ensuring that help arrives as quickly as possible.
The app also provides essential contact information for public services such as search and rescue, medical institutions, emergency services, and coastal radio stations. Users can report maritime violations with photos and videos, access detailed weather forecasts, refresh their knowledge of navigation rules, learn about marine environmental protection, and find information on foreign vessels.
With the "Ports and Anchorages" feature, you can explore marinas, nautical anchorages, fuel stations, and border crossings, making it a valuable tool for all seafarers.
Navionics
Navionics is one of the best apps for sailing, cruising, fishing, and diving. Its charts are created using official government sources and provide detailed information on seasonal buoys, lights, rocks, moorings, boat ramps, restaurants, and shops.
These charts also include port plans, safety depth contours, tides and currents, navigation aids, and nearby marine services. A key advantage is that they can be downloaded for offline use.
The ‘Sonarchart Live’ feature delivers real-time, high-resolution mapping of the seafloor, while the ‘Dock-to-dock auto-routing’ function suggests routes based on chart data, navigation aids, fuel consumption, distance, and estimated arrival time.
The ‘Connections’ feature allows users to stay in touch with other boaters by sharing their profile, live location, tracks, routes, and markers. Additionally, the ‘Advanced’ features provide detailed daily and hourly forecasts, including wind conditions, weather buoys, tides, and currents.
Although Navionics is a paid app, its comprehensive features make it well worth the investment. Available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
Sea Help
SeaHelp is a 24/7 maritime rescue service that provides insurance coverage and reliable assistance at sea whenever needed.
The app offers three membership plans, available for purchase online, giving users access to services such as boat towing, jump-starting, fuel delivery, spare part retrieval, propeller line removal, and weather updates.
A key feature is the SOS button, which allows even non-members to send a distress SMS with their location and mobile number. In response, SeaHelp will immediately call back to confirm the situation and dispatch a rescue boat if it's an actual emergency.
This app is highly recommended for frequent sailors, particularly those planning more demanding voyages.
You can download the app and sign up for a membership at sea-help.eu.
ACI Marinas
ACI is the largest marina network and a leading operator in the Mediterranean, recognised as the most established name in Croatian sailing since 1983.
Through its app, users can access detailed information about all 22 ACI marinas across Croatia, including real-time weather reports, marina services, and berth availability. The app also enables berth reservations, boat registration, and the management of multiple vessels under one account.
The ACI Marinas app is available in Croatian, English, German, and Italian and can be downloaded from Google Play and the App Store.
My Sea
My Sea is a top-rated app for booking berths in marinas, buoy fields, and restaurant jetties, offering the same prices as in-person reservations.
The app provides detailed marina information, including mooring types, wind protection, available services, entertainment, and dining options. It is available to boaters in Croatia, Turkey, Montenegro, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Slovenia, and Austria.
Beyond booking, My Sea serves as a comprehensive travel guide, featuring details on harbours, anchorages, buoys, restaurants, shops, mechanics, sailmakers, and more. It also helps users locate nearby doctors and taxis, leave reviews and recommendations, add new destinations, and update or correct existing information.
Additionally, users can purchase tickets to Croatian national parks directly through the app.
My Sea is available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
Windy
Windy App is a professional weather application designed for wind and water sports enthusiasts, offering highly accurate forecasts.
With detailed 10-day weather predictions, real-time global wind maps, and local weather reports, the app provides essential data such as wind direction and speed, temperature, cloud coverage, precipitation, wave height and direction, wave periods, and tide information.
Users can also compare conditions at different locations, chat with locals for insights, and share their experiences within the app’s community.
The Windy App is available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
Knot guide
KnotGuide is a top-rated app for learning how to tie sailing knots. It features a comprehensive index of over 100 knots, complete with step-by-step photos and categorised for easy navigation based on different uses.
Users can also save their favourite knots for quick access whenever needed.
The app is available for download on Google Play and the App Store.
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