VOLVO ASSISTED DOCKING
Volvo’s latest Assisted Docking software claims to take the stress out of berthing by automatically compensating for the effects of wind and tide
The engine manufacturer’s latest innovation could change the way we berth our boats forever. Find out why
Forget personal shopping assistants, the latest trend in the world of boating technology is personal docking assistance. And while it’s only a matter of time before fully automated hands-free berthing becomes a reality – Volvo demonstrated a working prototype back in 2018 which relied on radio beacons installed around the berth – we’re not there yet. In the meantime, both Volvo and Raymarine are locked in a battle to get as close to that as possible without taking control out of the hands of the skipper.
Last year Raymarine launched its Dock Sense system using a network of cameras around the boat to set up a virtual bumper that stops it bumping into anything as it comes into a berth. Now Volvo has hit back with a new development of its own. Launched last month at the Consumer Electronics Show and available to the public this spring on both new and existing IPS boats, Assisted Docking claims to take the stress out of berthing by automatically compensating for the effects of wind and tide.
This may not sound like a big deal but in reality this is the one aspect of berthing that many boat owners still struggle with. Even with the latest joystick-controlled boats, skippers have to second-guess how the wind and tide will push the boat around as they try to squeeze into a berth. With Assisted Docking, all that is taken care of, meaning the boat now goes exactly where you ask it to.
GAME-CHANGER
Push the joystick forward and it will track in a dead-straight line even with a cross tide trying to knock it off course. Push the joystick to one side and it will crab sideways even with a stiff breeze trying to blow the bow out of shape. Perhaps most importantly of all, as soon as you let go of the joystick, the boat will stop dead in the water, counteracting any momentum and holding station on the spot regardless of what the wind and tide are doing.
This last feature is a potential game changer for less experienced skippers as it gives them the option of bailing out of a berthing manoeuvre if it starts to go wrong simply by letting go of the joystick. Try this in any other boat and while it may prevent the situation from getting any worse, the boat’s momentum and/ or the wind and tide could still carry it into a neighbouring boat or concrete quay.
According to Anders Thorin, Volvo Penta’s project manager for Assisted Docking, this also simplifies and slows down the whole berthing process, breaking it down into a series of small easy-to-perform manoeuvres. “Previously you had to predict what the elements would do to your boat, now you can drive it in straight lines,” says Thorin.
This means that instead of trying to carry out a single seamless berthing manoeuvre that compensates for the wind and tide, you can line
your boat up with the empty space, straighten it by twisting the joystick, drive it in bow or stern first, then move it sideways onto the dock as slowly and with as many pauses as you like. In short, it makes parking a boat as simple as parking a car, arguably simpler given that you can’t drive a car sideways.
VIRTUAL ANCHOR
It works by tapping into the same technology used by Volvo for its Dynamic Positioning System – a virtual anchor that holds the boat in place using GPS signals and the boat’s steering and drives to keep it stationary. Assisted Docking requires an upgraded GPS antenna that enables it to connect to more satellites for greater accuracy and stability plus the new software that allows it to compensate for wind and tide while on the move rather than simply holding station. Thorin won’t be drawn on exactly how accurate the new system is in terms of feet and inches as it depends on the number of satellites visible to it at any one time and place. Nor can he put a limit on the strength of wind or tide that it can cope with as that is affected by the underwater profile and windage of the boat as well as the size of its engines. However, he describes it as showing ‘extraordinary accuracy’ in typical cruising conditions, while a power-assist readout lets you know how hard it is having to work to maintain that course of action and how close you are to reaching the 100% limit. Interestingly, the system is also compatible with the latest range of Sidepower proportional thrusters, so it can use these in conjunction with the IPS drives to maximise its efficacy.
Other useful functions include simple pre-programmed fine-tune manoeuvres, such as tapping on the joystick up to three times to shift the boat forward, backwards or sideways in 30cm steps (a single tap in the opposite direction cancels it). A Side Push button also enables you to pin the boat to the dock while you step off to attach the lines.
Volvo hasn’t yet announced pricing for the new Assisted Docking option but insists that for new boats it will be a relatively small upgrade on the cost of the Dynamic Positioning System. For older IPS boats there will be the added cost of retrofitting the new DPS antenna as well as the software upgrade. For the moment, it will only be available on boats with Volvo IPS pod drives but in time it is likely to filter across into joystick-equipped sterndrive and even outboard-engined craft.
MBY hasn’t yet had a chance to sea-trial the new Assisted Docking function but if it lives up to Volvo’s claims, this could turn out to be the last and arguably most significant step yet on the path to fully automated docking.