Raymarine has announced a new integration between its Axiom chartplotters and the popular Orca navigation app, allowing boaters to send a planned route from their mobile device straight to their helm display via Wi-Fi. It’s a simple, real-time link designed to take the stress out of passage planning.
Using Orca’s instant routing feature, skippers select a starting point and destination, and the app calculates the optimal route based on the boat’s draft, beam, air height, and even polar performance data for sailing yachts. Weather-aware routing is built in, so it can factor in conditions before you head off. Once you’re happy with the route, a couple of taps sends it wirelessly to the Axiom – ready to follow on screen or via your Raymarine autopilot.
To get started, Axiom owners will need to update to LightHouse 4.9.330 or later, while Orca users should be running version 2025.13 or newer. The free Orca app is available for both iOS and Android. Pairing the two is straightforward: enable Axiom’s Wi-Fi, scan a QR code with your device, and you’re connected.
There are a few things to note. Only one Orca route can be shared to Axiom at a time, and any changes must be made in Orca before being resent – the chartplotter can’t edit the route beyond colour selection. Sending a new route overwrites the existing one. That said, the integration works seamlessly, and once the route is on Axiom, it behaves like any other, complete with the ability to drive the boat along it using the autopilot.
The benefit for Kiwi boaties is obvious. Whether you’re a coastal cruiser hopping between anchorages, a yachtie fine-tuning a race plan, or a fishing crew chasing the next hot spot, you can plot your course from the comfort of your cockpit or saloon, then have it waiting at the helm without fiddling with menus or waypoints.
Raymarine’s Vice President of Operations, Michelle Hildyard, says the partnership “eliminates a stressful part of preparing for time on the water” and makes boating “easier and safer, allowing customers to simply enjoy their time afloat.”
In this video, Raymarine shows you how to download the app, create an automatic route using Orca’s smart navigation algorithms, and wirelessly share it to your Axiom running LightHouse 4.9.330 or later.
For more on setting up the link, Raymarine’s LightHouse 4 Advanced Operation Guide and Orca’s online help centre offer step-by-step instructions.
