Google Maps to NMEA
SendaOne turns a Google Maps route into a marine route your
chartplotter can navigate — both NMEA 0183 waypoints and a navigable
GPX route (a proper <rte>, not a breadcrumb track). Plan the
leg in Google Maps, paste the link, and load it on Garmin Marine, Raymarine,
B&G, Furuno or OpenCPN. It is the only Google Maps converter that
speaks the language of the helm.
How it works
- Share the route from Google Maps. Plan the coastal or inland-water leg, tap Share, copy the link. SendaOne mirrors the exact path and your stops, in order.
- Convert at SendaOne. Paste the URL and choose NMEA for 0183 waypoint sentences, or the navigable GPX route for a leg-by-leg route. Click Convert.
- Load it on the plotter. Import via SD card or the plotter app. The route shows up as named waypoints the autopilot can chain — with distance and bearing to the next mark.
Why navigators use SendaOne
- A route, not a breadcrumb. A plotter wants a navigable
route it can activate leg by leg (XTE, ETA, arrival alarms), not a dense
track. SendaOne emits a real
<rte>with named waypoints and per-leg distance and true bearing. - Real port names. The name you typed in Google Maps becomes the waypoint id, sanitized to each format's character set so the sentence never breaks.
- The only tool that does it. Other "Maps to GPX" converters stop at a land GPX track. SendaOne is the only one that takes a Google Maps link to NMEA and a navigable marine route.
- No account, no email. Your URL is processed in memory and discarded.
Navigate responsibly
This file is a convenience conversion of a Google Maps route, not a verified passage plan. Google Maps does not model depths, rocks, traffic separation schemes, restricted areas or tides. You are solely responsible for checking the route against official nautical charts and for safe pilotage. See the precision and scope notes for detail.
Frequently asked questions
Can a marine chartplotter follow a Google Maps route?
Google Maps cannot export to a plotter, but SendaOne bridges it. It converts the Maps link into NMEA 0183 waypoint sentences and a navigable GPX route — an ordered, named waypoint list — that Garmin Marine, Raymarine, B&G, Furuno and OpenCPN read as a route for leg-by-leg autopilot navigation.
Should I use the NMEA file or the GPX route?
Use the navigable GPX route for most modern plotters and OpenCPN — it carries a proper route element with named waypoints and is widely supported. Use NMEA 0183 for legacy units or existing NMEA workflows. SendaOne produces both because they target different equipment.
Does it keep the names of my stops?
Yes. The names you typed in Google Maps ride along on the waypoints, sanitized to the character set each format allows (NMEA is ASCII-strict, so a non-Latin name falls back cleanly rather than breaking the checksum). The geometry is the exact route Google built.
Is the route safe to navigate as-is?
No. It is a convenience conversion, not a verified passage plan. Google Maps does not know depths, hazards or tides. Always check the route against official nautical charts and your own pilotage before relying on it.