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Introducing Orca Plus and Smart Navigation
March 4, 2024 • 3 min read
Making Orca better for even more boaters.
Boating habits are incredibly diverse and individual. For some, boating is all about planning long voyages and going on an adventure. For others, it's the predictability of visiting the same favorite beach again and again.
Similarly, the tools chosen for marine navigation vary widely. Some prefer the simplicity of a marine navigation app with a paper chart while others prefer a marine-grade navigation system with autopilot, VHF, AIS, and radar.
Orca’s mission is to deliver on every boater's needs, and this week’s update introduces updates to Orca’s subscription plans to make Orca a great fit for even more boaters.
The free Orca App is an incredible navigation app. It gives access to online charts, Automatic Routing, Internet AIS, Weather Forecasts, and many other features. Orca Premium, the current subscription plan in Orca, is great for those who want offline charts and all the advanced functionality Orca offers.
Orca Premium and the free experience are easy to understand and simple. However, it lacks flexibility. As Orca has grown with more advanced experiences, Orca Premium has grown in features, leading to more functionality that may not be as interesting for all boaters. This week’s update creates more flexibility by offering multiple subscription plans.
Introducing the new Orca plans
This week’s update replaces Orca Premium with two new subscription plans: Orca Plus and Orca Smart Navigation. The free plan stays as-is, with no changes.
Orca now gives you the following options:
The Free App: The most comprehensive free offering in the industry remains unchanged. Free Orca users can access online charts*, automatic routing, weather forecasts, and navigation functionality.
Orca Plus (€49 / year): For those who want a reliable experience with offline charts, Orca Plus is a great option. Orca Plus also gives access to satellite hybrid charts, and sail routing, making planning a lot easier.
Smart Navigation (€99 / year): Smart Navigation is the most advanced plan of Orca. It gives you access to Automatic Rerouting, Advanced AIS, and Logbook** functionality.
Orca Plus and Smart Navigation can be activated individually or together for the full experience. It means you now have more flexibility to tailor Orca the way you want. Existing Orca Premium subscribers who continue with their current plans will receive the same experience available with Orca Plus and Smart Navigation combined.
Update: As of 1st of June 2024, Smart Navigation and Orca Plus are no longer complimentary, but tiered. Smart Navigation now contains everything in Orca Plus, and is available for €149 per year.
This is Orca Plus
Orca Plus gives access to offline charts, which allows you to access charts when you are boating outside or at the edge of mobile coverage. With Orca Plus, you are free to download the charts you need from Orca’s entire chart folio. No restrictions or limitations.
Download the charts you need from the complete Orca chart folio.
You will also get access to Satellite Hybrid Charts. These charts make planning and visualizing harbor and anchorage entries a lot easier.
Satellite Hybrid Charts make planning a harbor approach effortless. View landmarks and get a feeling for your surroundings before you arrive.
Orca Plus also gives access to Sail Routing. This routing mode considers weather forecasts and your boat’s polar diagrams to find the best route to your destination.
Orca finds a Sail Route across the British channel in just a few seconds. The turning tide causes the route to shift in an S-shape.
This is Orca Smart Navigation
Orca Smart Navigation gives access to Automatic Rerouting, advanced AIS functionality, and Logbook **. This plan is aimed at boaters who want the very best and smartest navigation experience.
Automatic Rerouting monitors the progress along your route and recalculates the route if you deviate. It is incredibly smart and automatically adjusts the route for smaller deviations, and notifies you if it finds a significantly better route to your destination.
If you decide to take a detour around an island, Automatic Rerouting will give you an updated route.
Advanced AIS functionality covers collision projection with the Closest Point of Approach estimates. Click on an AIS target in the chart to view the closest point of approach. A photo of the AIS target will also be shown – making it easy to correlate the target with what you see on the horizon.
Viewing vessel details is now faster with the expandable bottom panel.
Orca Smart Navigation also gives Orca Core owners insights into their boating habits via Logbook. Logbook gives you detailed information about speed, distance traveled, wind, tide, and sailing performance information.
A sailing trip recorded by the Orca Logbook.
How to get Orca Plus and Smart Navigation
A full year of Orca Plus and Smart Navigation are included when buying the Orca Core and the Orca Display. You can also view and manage your current plan via Account Settings > Account Details in the Orca app or on your Orca Display.
A complete overview of each plan is available in the Orca User Guide. If you have questions about the plans, reach out at hello@getorca.com.
* Sweden, Denmark, and Germany are only available for free for a few days due to licensing restrictions.
** Logbook requires Orca Core.
