TransEurope Marinas has set up an agreement with the all-in-one boating app savvy navvy to coincide with the start of the cruising season. The aim is to help facilitate boating, with a particular focus on cruising-in-company and sailing skills development.
Marina managers in Port de plaisance du Havre and VNZ Blankenberge will be using the savvy navvy app in their endeavors to ease new boaters into sailing, lead rallies, and assist with route planning and optimisation.
Changing boater behaviour
In Le Havre, France, manager Julien Lebas is a major sailing enthusiast, having completed a single-handed transatlantic race amongst other achievements. He forms part of a team dedicated to running regular informative and practical events for his berth-holders. They are part of a large community of sailors who often go racing locally and across the Channel, often in technically challenging waters. He described his satisfaction with the pilot programme and chance to use a tool that brings together weather, a map background, currents, and optimum routes.
Over the past few years, we’ve noticed changes in boater behaviour, where previously a person who grew up yachting with their parents on a family boat and learnt to maintain it, has become a rarity. Those new to boating need more assistance and support. Attending to this, in Le Havre we run workshops and rallies to help develop navigational skills and increase their enjoyment as seafarers. A tool like savvy navvy is perfect for this.
Rob Vandenbergh, manager of VNZ Blankenberge, an active non-profit club in Belgium, has a full calendar of sailing events throughout the year and a passionate and engaged membership. He described being impressed with savvy navvy’s ability to predict arrival times with extraordinary accuracy and is looking forward to making use of the platform for routing and planning the club rallies.
Supporting local businesses
In the meantime, Kerrie Gray, manager of the UK’s successful Poole Quay Boat Haven and Port of Poole Marina, will be trying out the new “promoted pin” functionality offered by savvy navvy, including the chance to give more exposure to relevant local businesses, such as yards, chandleries, fuel services and restaurants:
Our facilities welcome over 8,000 visiting vessels each year, and in 2022 hosted 23 events including regattas, broker open days and cruising groups. We’re delighted to be able to represent the TransEurope network so prominently on the south coast, and to help give visibility to nearby services of particular use to visiting boaters.
Google Maps for boats
savvy navvy really is as simple as ‘Google Maps for boats’, showing essential marine information with a clean and easy-to-view interface for safety and ease of use, enabling better and quicker navigation. With a growing popularity and close to a million app downloads, savvy navvy is constantly being developed with unique and user-friendly features based on feedback from users – giving anyone on the water, whether it’s a boater, paddleboarder, kayaker or jet skier access to their platform.
We are so pleased with our new partnership with TransEurope Marinas, especially knowing how our app helps their customers in so many ways. Our new ‘promoted pin’ function is already proving popular, allowing users to plan ahead directly using our map-based app – finding anything from a boatyard, sail repair services, training school or chandlery. It is the perfect chance for TransEurope Marinas visitors to get added value ahead of and during their marina stays,” says David Cusworth, Head of Innovation and Partnerships at savvy navvy.
The pilot will take effect from the 1st April of this year, and both TransEurope Marinas and savvy navvy look forward to hearing feedback from the marina managers based on their experiences.
To learn more about savvy navvy, visit their website: www.savvy-navvy.com
