American Sailing and marine navigation app Aqua Map today announced an expanded collaboration that gives instructors free licenses and offers American Sailing members and students discounted access to charts, routing, marine forecasts, and more.
ANNAPOLIS, Md., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- American Sailing and marine navigation app Aqua Map today announced an expanded collaboration that gives instructors free licenses and offers American Sailing members and students discounted access to charts, routing, marine forecasts, and more.
The agreement builds on an established working relationship between Aqua Map and American Sailing (ASA). Aqua Map already provides certified instructors with a school kit of presentations, videos, and instructions, a free permanent license for each instructor, and a free temporary license for every student for the length of their course. The expanded collaboration adds a discount for all American Sailing members and supports electronic navigation education and instructor resources.
"In addition to chart plotters, most of us now navigate with a phone or tablet in the cockpit," said Dave Taylor, CEO of American Sailing. "Our job is to teach the skills required to navigate coastal waters safely, and today that includes electronic navigation. Our navigation courses introduce the range of electronic tools available and how to use them safely and effectively, so sailors can make sound decisions regardless of the platform they choose. Aqua Map is an excellent example of the technology sailors are using on the water today, and this collaboration gives our instructors, students, and members the opportunity to work with a powerful navigation platform as they develop and apply those skills."
Aqua Map combines official nautical charts and local navigation data with enhanced planning and navigation tools in a single platform. In the United States, the app provides weekly updates of NOAA charts and USACE survey data, as well as daily updates to the USCG Light List and Local Notice to Mariners (LNM). These official sources provide boaters with current information on navigational hazards, aids to navigation, charted depths, and other local conditions that may affect safe passage. Aqua Map also provides route planning, marine weather forecasts, tides and currents, an anchor alarm, and connectivity with onboard NMEA instruments, allowing users to access chart, environmental, and vessel data within the same navigation system. Available on both iOS and Android.
"Many sailors learn to navigate from their sailing instructors, who bring real experience and expertise in safe navigation and trip planning. Working with American Sailing lets us support those instructors with the right electronic navigation tools and teaching materials at more than 400 ASA schools worldwide," said Giorgio Ghiggini, co-founder at Aqua Map. "Our vision for this partnership goes beyond where we are today. It's about keeping safety on the water at the center of our work. We look forward to continuing our work together and shaping the future of electronic navigation education alongside ASA's instructors and students."
About Aqua Map
Aqua Map is a navigation tool built around the real needs of boaters that brings together official nautical charts, navigational data, real-time weather forecasts, tides and currents, and onboard instrument connectivity in a single, intuitive navigation platform. Aqua Map is a product by GEC srl, a Tuscany-based geodata engineering company, founded in 2013 by Giorgio Ghiggini, Claudio Bo and Enrico Valle, three seasoned experts of the marine cartography industry who first worked together at Navionics.
Today, Aqua Map is trusted by more than 200,000 boaters and instructors worldwide, including a large community of ASA-certified sailing instructors across the United States. For US-based boaters, Aqua Map combines NOAA charts with exclusive USACE and USCG data, providing detailed navigation information not available on other platforms. Aqua Map also connects directly to onboard NMEA instruments, creating a fully integrated navigation experience that brings charts, vessel data, weather, and navigation information together in one place. Available on both iOS and Android. Find out more at aquamap.app.
About American Sailing
American Sailing (ASA) and its affiliated platforms — North U, American Sailing Vacations, and American Boating — are the world's leading sailing and boating education authority. Founded in 1983, American Sailing has certified more than 630,000 sailors and boaters through 400+ affiliated schools worldwide, from first-time sailors to offshore passage makers. Learn more at americansailing.com.
Media Contacts:
Nik Vale, COO, American Sailing, [email protected]
Giorgio Ghiggini, co-founder, Aqua Map (GEC srl), [email protected]
Media Contact
Zeke Quezada, American Sailing, 1 3233330303, [email protected], https://americansailing.com/
SOURCE American Sailing
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