Looking forward
Forward looking sonar technology has been around for many years but yachtsmen have been slow to adopt it. Garmin and B&G, among others, offer sonar and market it primarily for bluewater sailors, as it’s clearly more suited to slower speed pilotage than to high speed racing yachts that might be covering half a mile a minute at 30 knots.
A forward-looking sonar maps the seabed ahead, usually over a cone of transmission of about 15° either side of the bow. “Sonar can look 300ft ahead or 10 times the depth and we recommended it for speeds up to 8 knots,” says Garmin’s Nick Meadow. “Obviously on something like an IMOCA 60 doing 30 knots the decision making time is very inhibited but this technology will improve.”
Writing for us on just this subject last month, and specifically of the B&G Forward Scan fitted on his own boat, top navigator Mike Broughton commented: “I have used Forward Scan to great effect short tacking against a strong tidal stream in the Solent, gaining the confidence to tack back to the shore before our competitors helped make significant gains.
“Confidence that you are clear for just another boat length as you approach the shore can be gold dust information and allow your boat to achieve a clear lane of clean wind and make gains.”
Where to next?
Vessel automation is where everything seems to be going as the MFD becomes a hub for all points of information and control on a vessel. It will be integrated not just with your autopilot but perhaps also winches for automatic sail trim, anchor windlass, running lights, trim tabs, engines and other machinery, displaying relevant data. Some of this could be accelerated through strategic partnerships with other manufacturers and boatbuilders.
There will also be more emphasis on telematics – a fancy word for remote access to onboard information. You will be able to see your yacht’s battery level, water and fuel tank level and so on from wherever you are in the world, and be able to chill the fridge or turn on the aircon or heater before you arrive.
How we perceive the environment on board and interact with it is also changing, again with big powerboats leading the way. Thermal imaging and on board cameras can bring unseen aspects into view, and be automatically switched to when needed, such as when berthing, or anchoring.
“People don’t sail their boats as much as they would like and it’s a large expense sat on a mooring or a marina,” says Alan Davis, “If you can’t get there, this technology will be able to let you check up on everything.”