What is Savvy Navvy's comfort index?

The comfort index shows how comfortable your ride is likely to be along your route, so you can quickly see whether you're in for an easy, peaceful passage or should prepare for a bumpier one.

It gives you an overall indication of sea conditions in the area you're passing through. How it actually feels on board also depends on your boat's size and type, your angle to the waves, and the experience of you and your crew, so treat it as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Right now the index is based on forecasted wave height and wave period. We'll be adding more factors over time.

Where to find it

Plot a route as normal, then look just below the route summary (time, distance, ETA and fuel) in the Routes tab. The comfort index appears as a coloured bar running from your start point (A) to your destination (B).

Tap the ? icon in the top right of the comfort index card at any time to bring up a quick explainer in the app.

Reading the colours

The bar maps conditions along your route from A to B, a bit like traffic colours on a road map. The position of each colour along the bar tells you roughly where on the passage you can expect those conditions.

If you don't like what you see, try the Pick the best time to leave section underneath. Scrolling through different departure times will update the comfort index so you can compare conditions across the day.

Sails or motor

On sailing routes, the texture of the bar shows how you'll be moving on each part of the passage:

• Dotted line: sails hoisted
• Solid line: motoring

We suggest motoring when the wind direction isn't favourable, when there isn't enough wind to sail above the minimum speed to sail you've set in your boat settings, or when other restrictions apply.

Wind barbs

If your boat is set up as a sailing boat, you'll also see wind barbs below the comfort index bar. These are the standard nautical symbol for wind speed and direction at points along your route.

How to read them:

• A long barb is 10 knots
• A short barb is 5 knots
• A pennant (the solid triangle) is 50 knots
• Add them together to get the total, so a long barb plus a short barb is 15 knots

Barbs show the forecasted wind rounded to the nearest 5 knots, so both 4 kn and 7 kn will appear as a 5 kn barb.
Wind direction: the long shaft points into the wind, meaning towards the direction the wind is blowing from. A barb with its shaft pointing to the north-east is showing wind coming from the north-east.

A note on safety

The comfort index is a forecast-based estimate. Always use your own judgement, check the full weather and wave forecast, and follow official warnings before heading out.

If you have any questions or feedback please contact our team at ahoy@savvy-navvy.com OR via our in-app chat and we will be happy to assist you!

Updated on: 18/08/2026