Growing up, I learned that there were times when it was best to give my dad maximum leeway. One example was anything involving the boat’s systems or electronics. While my dad has a Ph.D. in physics, electronics and systems were clunkier animals decades ago. Accessing information or troubleshooting often involved poorly written manuals.

Today, we have NMEA 2000 networking capabilities and Maretron’s WSV100 MConnect HTML 5 web server. They make it much easier to control onboard systems and devices, and to diagnose issues by tapping glass.

The past decade has seen numerous monitor, track and control systems introduced to the marine-electronics market. Maretron’s MConnect ($600) has one foot in this world: It provides the M and C, but it’s not “just” a troubleshooting tool. Instead, MConnect uses smart networking and clever software to give owners and captains access to more than 400 NMEA 2000 data points. The setup allows them to see—and sometimes control—what’s happening aboard their vessel via customizable graphical user interfaces. These interfaces can be accessed via compatible multifunction displays or any browser-enabled device, so long as the MConnect can share its data locally or with the internet.

In terms of hardware, MConnect’s black box is built out of ABS plastic with an aluminum backside that acts as a heat sink and has an IP67 water-ingress rating. Its overall dimensions measure 2.68-by-6-by-4.04 inches, which includes four screw-mount holes.

Connectivity-wise, each MConnect has two NMEA 2000 Micro-C ports, a serial port (users can switch between RS-485 and RS-232 protocols), a USB 3.0 port, an RJ45 Ethernet port and a power-cable port (9-30 volts). The power, Ethernet and both N2K connections each have dedicated LEDs that give at-a-glance status reports.

Additionally, MConnect systems have built-in Wi-Fi (2.4 gigahertz and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth (5.0 and BLE) capabilities, as well as HTML 5 web browsers.

MConnect’s N2K ports are designed to communicate with two discrete N2K networks. This allows users to connect a navigational network to one N2K port while connecting a vessel-monitoring network to the other. MConnect doesn’t bridge data between the two networks, but it does let users see data from different networks displayed on the same page.

Users have several options for networking, sharing and displaying MConnect-created user interfaces. For yachts that navigate using PCs, owners can connect a wireless router, such as Maretron’s E2500, to the MConnect’s Ethernet port and then access data wirelessly. (MConnect has built-in Wi-Fi that’s expected to be activated in a future software update.)

For yachts that navigate with a compatible multifunction display, owners can connect a nav display to MConnect via an Ethernet cable.

Or, for yacht owners who want to access MConnect data through an MFD and wireless devices, MConnect can be networked to the MFD via Ethernet, and a USB-to-Ethernet adapter can be plugged into the USB port and then networked with a wireless router. This option also opens the door to connecting MConnect with a yacht’s satellite-communications system.

Finally, users can network an MFD to MConnect via Ethernet and use the USB port to connect a 4G dongle, which supplies connectivity to the MConnect. This option—as well as networking schemes that involve the vessel’s satcom system—allows users to access MConnect data from anywhere using a wireless device and Maretron’s Telemetric Cloud Service.

MConnect users also can add a free Tailscale virtual private network to the system to ensure that onboard data remains secure.

“The majority of users will access the data locally via a compatible MFD, but we are seeing more and more remotely operated vessels looking at the MConnect as their solution for remote operation,” says Jim Catterall, Maretron business development manager.

Once MConnect is installed and networked, the web server takes NMEA PGNs (parameter group number, a code that identifies specific network data) and converts them into colorful and high-definition graphical user interfaces that are easy to customize and understand. These interfaces can be displayed on compatible and networked MFDs, as well as on any device with a browser. As many as four users can simultaneously access MConnect data; remote users need to install the Tailscale VPN onto their devices to access these graphical user interfaces.

Each MConnect has 87 screen components, which are like reusable building blocks—for example, buttons—that can be used to build a graphical user interface. Components include 72 out-of-the-box options and 15 user-defined options that let users add their own custom graphics. Users can, for example, build a page that displays engine data such as temperature, rpm and fuel-tank levels, with green, yellow and red zones on the gauges to best match a vessel’s characteristics. The overall idea is not just to customize how data can be viewed, but also to have at-a-glance views for whatever the yacht owner believes is most important to keep an eye on.

MConnect also can be integrated with a yacht’s N2K digital-switching systems, allowing users to create actionable scenarios. For example, users can create an underway mode, where MConnect monitors the engine-room temperature and automatically turns on the circuit breakers that control the engine-room fans.

Alternatively, users can leverage a digital-switching system to gain manual control over onboard systems. For example, in the description of the custom-built engine-data interface, they could add a virtual switch that allows them to control their engine-room fans manually.

Given that MConnect web servers can simultaneously access two independent N2K networks and 400-plus different N2K PGNs, it’s fair to say these systems have a wide sweet spot in terms of appropriate waterline. “The MConnect is designed to work on an MFD through HTML, so really, it’s suitable for all leisure yachts small and large,” Catterall says.

While there’s a lot of daylight between the size of a center-console and the span of a superyacht, it’s likely that the biggest common denominator among prospective MConnect users will be a desire to access vessel data in a user-friendly and graphically engaging way.

Overall, for yachtsmen who want real-time N2K data but don’t speak PGN, MConnect is ready to turn cumbersome codes into information-rich and engaging displays.

My regret after learning about everything this modern technology can do? That this kind of network whispering didn’t exist decades ago, when it would have meant a lot more sailing and far fewer headaches for my long-suffering dad.

Password Protected

MConnect users can set a password to protect custom configurations. However, if this password is lost or forgotten, users must send their MConnect to Maretron to be reimaged. This costs time, and the reimaging process erases everything. So, passwords must be stored safely.

The post Maretron MConnect appeared first on Yachting.

Simrad Yachting has introduced AutoTrack for its HALO 2000 and HALO 3000 Radars, which adds automated vessel tracking to these radar systems. 

AutoTrack gives boaters with real-time, mission-critical information without requiring constant monitoring. The system works intelligently behind the scenes, adding an extra layer of safety without impacting the user experience. Whether someone is inshore or a marine or crossing blue water, AutoTrack keeps captains informed and in control.

AutoTrack follows up to 50 targets simultaneously at a range of up to 24 nautical miles. Within the radar application, AutoTrack creates overlays of vessels and potential hazards. Simrad says that even when the radar screen is not the active display, AutoTrack is still monitoring and a widget shows the highest-priority targets.

Simrad is careful to note the appropriate use of this technology, stating: “The Autotrack feature is an aid to navigation under specific circumstances, but should not be considered as a collision avoidance system or used as a primary source of navigation. This feature is not a substitute for proper training, qualification, licenses (where required) and prudent seamanship and is designed to be used in conjunction with conventional navigational practices.”

AutoTrack is compatible with Simrad multifunction displays, including the NSS and NSO evo3 and evo3S series (running software version 25.1 or later) and the NSX, NSX Ultrawide and NSS 4 displays (with software version 2.1 or later). It is enabled by default with HALO 2000/3000 V8.2.0.32 software update. The feature can turn on or off in the radar settings menu. AutoTrack will eventually be available with Simrad, Lowrance and B&G HALO dome radars too.

The post Simrad’s AutoTrack Enhances Radar Safety appeared first on Yachting.

Imagine ripping along at 25 to 30 knots in the dark, in a big seaway, singlehanded aboard a 60-foot offshore racing sailboat in the nonstop around-the-world Vendée Globe race. Land and help are hundreds of miles away. Sleep is one of your most valuable currencies, but commercial vessels, fishing boats and whales also transit these waters. Trusting the big-ocean theory while you get some shut-eye can be risky business.

Optical-based collision-avoidance systems are a solution to this problem. One example is Sea.AI (née Oscar), which was developed in 2018 to help keep these kinds of sailors safe. Flash-forward seven years, and this type of technology is protecting boaters of all stripes, with numerous brands on the market and companies competing to advance the systems in various ways.

Optical-based collision-avoidance tech is an offshoot of automotive-based, advanced driver-assistance systems. This technology is quickly becoming an invaluable safety net, alongside radar and the automatic identification system, aboard well-equipped yachts. Elements of this technology are also critical for enabling assisted and autonomous docking and navigation systems. Contemporary systems alert captains of potential collision threats, with AI’s evolutionary curve suggesting more to come. Much like a car’s ADAS, this tech could soon also be standard kit aboard boats.

Most optical-based collision-avoidance systems have one or more cameras, an AI-enabled black-box processor and a display. Systems can include a daylight camera with low-light capabilities or a thermal-imaging camera, or both. The processor typically contains a library of annotated images that depict, for example, a vessel at sunset, a buoy in waves or a partially submerged container. The screen, which can be dedicated glass or a networked multifunction display, presents visual and audible alarms and real-time video imagery of any camera-captured targets.

The camera’s video is fed through the processor using AI computer vision and machine learning. It essentially lets the processor “see” through the camera. The processor then compares the camera’s real-time video feed with its imagery database, or it uses its knowledge of how to identify targets based on its annotated imagery database to identify nonwater objects in the camera’s field of view—a sailboat in the fog, for example.

“Our database contains more than 20 million objects in different scenarios, like sea states, weather conditions, geographic locations,” says Christian Rankl, Sea.AI’s chief technical officer. “It’s key to have a database with a wide range of objects and scenarios to build a highly reliable collision-avoidance system.”

Once the system has identified an object, it tracks it and calculates the real-time distance and bearing to the object, as well as a safe course (depicted on the display) around it.

The math isn’t trivial, says Sangwon Shin, vice president of recreational marine for Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai that specializes in autonomous navigation: “The hardest part about creating a collision-avoidance system is calculating the distance.” Factors include the boat’s pitch and roll, plus the marine environment’s diverse conditions. A boat’s distance from an object and its velocity also factor into calculating an avoidance path.

This all unfurls almost instantaneously with Avikus’ Neuboat Navi system. “It takes about 20 to 30 milliseconds,” Shin says about the time frame required to identify an object. The system, which uses an electro-optical camera and a lidar sensor to measure distance, recalculates this 10 times per second to ensure accuracy. “Sending the alarm to the boaters takes about 100 to 200 milliseconds,” Shin adds.

Other systems also offer processing times that are lightning-fast. Phil Bourque, Sea Machines’ vice president of global sales, says his company’s AI-ris system has latency of less than 0.25 seconds at full 4K resolution. “So, it does a lot of thinking very quickly.”

But speed is only one necessary component of these systems. They also have to minimize false alarms. Rankl says Sea.AI continuously refines its AI model by analyzing scenarios where it performed poorly. “It’s crucial for the AI to accurately distinguish real threats from benign objects.”

Sensor payload is another area where evolution is occurring, beyond hardware, software and AI models.

“While optical and thermal sensors are highly effective in detecting various floating objects, they, like all sensors, have limitations,” Rankl says, noting that these limitations could be addressed by integrating radar, AIS, lidar and sonar. “Our research department is actively evaluating the value these sensors can provide to our customers and how they can further enhance their safety at sea.”

Bourque agrees, noting that Sea Machines is working to integrate AIS and radar into AI-ris. “We certainly see the demand for the fusion of computer vision, radar and AIS,” he says.

Another important integration involves displayed cartography and data overlays. Anyone who cruises with radar and AIS is familiar with how multifunction displays can overlay AIS targets and radar data atop vector cartography. To that end, Sea.AI recently partnered with TimeZero to display targets detected by Sea.AI’s Sentry system atop TimeZero’s TZ Professional navigation software. “We are actively working toward integrating our machine vision with other platforms as well,” Rankl says.

Sea.AI isn’t alone in this thinking. Avikus’ Neuboat Navi presents camera-detected targets in its real-time head-up display, and Sea Machines’ SM300 autonomous command and control system displays camera-detected targets atop cartography.

The trick, of course, will be getting optically detected targets onto mainstream multifunction displays, but multiple sources say this is already in the works.

Accurately assessing the future of optical-based collision-avoidance systems is a tougher ask.

Bourque says the next five years should see these systems mature and progress—much like the ADAS performance curve. He also says today’s refit customers will want this technology to come factory-installed aboard their next yachts, necessitating that designers and builders allocate physical space for these systems.

In addition, Rankl says, optical-based collision-avoidance technology will become a standard feature on boats, akin to radar and AIS. He sees low-Earth-orbit satellites such as Starlink playing a big role with their fast, global connectivity.

“This will enable the development of large vision models specialized for maritime use,” he says. Rankl also predicts that the rise of AI spatial intelligence, which allows AI models to understand and interact with geographic information, will let collision-avoidance systems better predict the movements of detected targets based on their positions and trajectories.

“Over the next five to 10 years, we expect multimodal systems that integrate data from all available boat sensors—cameras, radars, AIS, etc.—into a unified AI acting as a 24/7 co-skipper,” Rankl says.

Shin agrees but is more bullish about the time frame, which he puts at three to five years. “This technology will be developed in a way that combines multiple sensors and provides more accurate information,” he says. In five to 10 years, he adds, a single piece of hardware will provide “all the necessary data for collision avoidance.” As far as autonomous docking and navigation, Shin says: “We do not aim only to give situational awareness and provide suggested collision-avoidance routing. Our ultimate goal is to provide [an] autonomous system for boats, which is only possible with accurate distance calculation.”

Sea Machines is also integrating its optical-based collision-avoidance system with autopilot and engine controls to enable autonomous decision-making. Sea.AI is exploring options and applications for its technology.

As with all technologies, optical-based collision-avoidance systems aren’t without their high and low tides. On the positive side, these stand-alone systems add significant safety margins and don’t rely on signals transmitted from other vessels. Conversely, all technologies add cost and complexity, and false alarms can trigger unnecessary stress.

While today’s optical-based collision-avoidance systems offer a sea-change advancement over trusting the big-ocean theory, it will be fascinating to see what future directions the technology takes. Either way, there’s no question that technology which began as specialized equipment for racing sailors is already having a massive impact on the wider boating world.

Evading Other Emergencies

In addition to spotting potential collision targets, optical-based detection systems can be used to locate and track a crewmember who has fallen overboard. Since these systems don’t rely on incoming AIS signals or radar returns, they can be key for detecting, identifying and tracking possible piracy threats.

Nautical Nightmare

A crewmember overboard is one of every captain’s worst fears, but the same camera systems that can help avoid collisions can be used to locate crewmembers in distress.

The post Optical-Based Collision-Avoidance Tech appeared first on Yachting.

As a kid, I would accompany my dad to our local chandlery to buy paper charts. He’d spend his winter weekends with them, planning our cruises. Come July, these charts would appear on board, with waypoints and routes drawn in pencil.

This system wasn’t seamless, but there was something magical about sitting next to my dad at the nav station, discussing the day’s agenda.

Flash-forward 40-plus years, and Furuno has combined the convenience of electronic navigation with the practicality of a chart table.

Modern electronic charts simplify navigation, but it can be challenging to plan a cruise on a relatively small screen. Enter Furuno’s PS-100 planning station, which is available in three large screen sizes, including a pedestal-mounted 55-inch display. This setup can overlay automatic identification system, radar and weather information atop cartography, giving navigators the convenience of electronic navigation with the elbow room of an old-school nav station.

The PS-100 is primarily designed for large vessels that navigate using International Hydrographic Organization-approved electronic charts on ECDIS (electronic chart display and information system) equipment, rather than for recreational navigation gear like multifunction displays. That said, some large yachts sail with IHO charts and ECDIS equipment, while other boaters can plan their cruises on a PS-100 and then manually transfer routes into their Furuno NavNet TZtouch MFDs.

“The PS-100 is meant to be an addition to, or an enhancement to, an existing Furuno bridge system,” says Bart Disher, Furuno’s commercial business development manager, referring to ECDIS equipment. “It’s a way to easily look at a much larger screen, separate from the navigation bridge, to do the planning.”

PS-100 systems consist of a display networked via USB and DisplayPort cables to a downstream PC tower, which, in turn, is networked to the vessel’s ECDIS via Ethernet. Planned routes are created on the PS-100’s display and sent to the ECDIS via Ethernet, while AIS (and tracked targets), radar and weather information is sent from the ECDIS to the PS-100 via this same connection.

Users have a choice of three standard screen sizes: 32-inch, 43-inch and the pedestal-mounted 55-inch. Alternatively, users can spec their own screen. The three standard displays are built by Hatteland Technology. “We have a long-running relationship with Hatteland,” Disher says.

All three of the standard monitors have 4K image resolution, which allows them to display high-definition electronic navigation charts. The 32- and 43-inch displays can be mounted at the helm or on a bulkhead, or they can sit on a desk like a computer monitor. The 55-inch display can be mounted or fitted in a pedestal that presents the screen at a fixed 45-degree angle or that articulates from horizontal to 30 degrees using electric motors.

All PS-100 systems use identical PC towers, which are also built by Hatteland to Furuno’s specs and run on Furuno’s software. Each PC comes with a ninth-generation (or newer) Intel Core i7 processor, an Nvidia Quadro P2200 (or later) graphics board, 16 gigabytes of RAM, and a 240 GB solid-state hard drive. In terms of connectivity, the towers also have HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, a USB type A port, an RS-422/485 port, an RS-323C port, an Ethernet port and an analog input.

While it’s tempting to think of PS-100 systems as MFDs on steroids, Disher says one distinction is that while PS-100s can display networked radar information, they can’t control the radar’s functionality, such as operating modes or zoom levels. Instead, he says, PS-100s are intended to be large and eye-pleasing planning stations that let users explore points of interest, compare route options, measure distances using an electronic divider and create routes. PS-100s also have three sets of electronic bearing lines and variable range markers for measuring bearing and distance, and they can store and transfer up to 300 routes and 200 charts with their networked ECDIS.

PS-100 systems can also run NAPA’s cloud-based Voyage Optimization software, which requires Furuno’s optional Service Gateway Gate-1 automatic chart-update system. This software optimizes route planning based on each vessel’s performance characteristics to bolster safety and reduce fuel consumption. While NAPA’s Voyage Optimization considers factors including weather routing, fuel consumption and emissions, Disher says the system uses math, not AI, to optimize routing.

In addition to route optimization, Furuno’s optional Gate-1 system also acts as an automatic chart-downloading and updating service. This, Disher says, transforms the manual process of updating IHO-approved electronic navigation charts into an automatic service that compares available updates with the vessel’s licensed cartography library. It then automatically downloads any needed updates via the vessel’s satcom system and shares these with the ECDIS system.

Disher says boat owners and captains who navigate using MFDs can create routes on a PS-100 and save them in MFD-friendly formats onto a Furuno USB dongle, and then manually transfer this information to their MFD. While the process isn’t seamless, Disher says it allows navigators to bring PS-100 routes into Furuno’s NavNet MFD ecosystem.

Also, Disher says, Furuno is exploring the possibility of enabling NavNet MFDs to navigate on IHO-approved charts. If this happens, PS-100 owners could potentially share routes with compatible Furuno-built MFDs via Ethernet.

Adding additional equipment requires analysis. PS-100s require a large helm to accommodate the display, or bridge space for a pedestal-mounted screen. Still, the system would be a welcome addition to most yachts for planning routes, replaying past voyages, briefing crew and owners, or showing guests the day’s agenda. A simple tap flips the screen’s orientation, allowing for group discussion and collaboration.

Overall, Furuno’s PS-100 can provide the best of all worlds: accurate and up-to-date cartography displayed atop spacious screen real estate that makes route planning a pleasurable experience.  

The post Introducing the Furuno PS-100 appeared first on Yachting.

In 2013, I purchased a 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt display, which I’ve used as a docking station for multiple generations of Mac mini black-box computers. The monitor still looks great, but more important is its longevity and the relatively affordable price of Mac minis. I’ve enjoyed better, faster computing without purchasing new glass. And should my trusty display fail, I only need to replace the monitor, not the entire setup.

I’m sure Apple’s marketing department would love to claim credit for inspiring my setup; however, it’s more likely that I got the idea from the marinized black-box computers and stand-alone displays that I’ve seen aboard high-end yachts.

Marinized computers come in two forms: all-in-one multifunction displays, and black-box chart plotters that use a separate networked display. While MFDs work well, black-box chart plotters allow owners to refresh their yacht’s computational powers without replacing compatible glass, which can be expensive and sometimes complicated to install.

Furuno and Garmin both have newer black-box offerings. Let’s start by looking at Furuno’s.

Furuno TZTBBX

In early 2024, Furuno released its line of NavNet TZtouchXL MFDs. Now some eight months later, the company has released the NavNet TZtouchXL Black Box Chart Plotter ($4,100).

“The TZTBBX is a compact processor with the same processing capacity as other TZtouchXL-series MFDs,” says Matt Wood, Furuno’s national sales manager. The TZT2BB has dual processors and dual video outputs in one housing. Its single hexacore processor and single video board allow it to drive a single touch-enabled display.

That last bit means users can also buy off-the-shelf splitters, allowing TZTBBXs to run multiple or mirrored screens.

Wood says the TZTBBX is “by far” the smallest black-box chart plotter that Furuno has built across six generations of black-box offerings. “It has a single HDMI output [and input], which can drive an 8-inch marinized display up to a 75- or 80-inch TV,” he says. “It’s light and easy to install.”

The TZTBBX’s smaller form factor, he adds, makes it suitable for well-appointed center-consoles along with superyachts: “It’s small, but it punches above its weight.”

In addition, the TZTBBX has all the same features as Furuno’s flagship TZtouchXL MFDs. “There’s no gap in functionality,” Wood says. Features include Furuno’s eye-pleasing TZ Maps, which are built using data sourced from official hydrographic offices and supplemented with privately sourced data. They currently encompass Australian, European and North American waters.

TZTBBXs also have Furuno’s AI Routing feature, which determines safe routes using chart data and vessel-specific parameters such as draft and air draft. If a TZTBBX is paired with a Furuno DRS-NXT radar, the black-box chart plotter also delivers Furuno’s Risk Visualizer feature, which color-codes targets based on their threat level, and AI Avoidance, which calculates safe routing in real time around potentially dangerous targets.

While TZTBBXs come with TZ Maps, Wood says, owners of bigger yachts can run networked blended systems that involve a black-box chart plotter or an MFD along with a Windows-based PC running Timezero’s TZ Professional or TZ Navigator software. With this setup, the PC is often the primary navigation tool, while the black-box chart plotter provides networked sensor input to the Windows-based computer.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” Wood says. “If we take the computer offline, or if we get the Windows blue screen of death, we can still navigate on our dedicated device.”

Garmin GPSMap 9500 Black Box

When it comes to big glass, Garmin’s 27-inch GPSMap 9000-series MFD leads the market. This series has impressive features, including large-format 4K screens, built-in Global Navigation Satellite System receivers, embedded LiveScope and Panoptix sonars, and the ability to support three downstream black-box sonars and to display Garmin Navionics+ cartography. Its four BlueNet ports, which hustle data at 1 gigabit per second, are most impressive.

More recently, the Olathe, Kansas-based technology giant released the GPSMap 9500 Black Box ($5,000). “It’s a GPSMap 9000-series MFD, but without the display,” says Dave Dunn, Garmin’s senior director of marine and RV sales. “The guts are exactly the same.”

Dunn says Garmin designed the GPSMap 9500 for owners of large yachts who use large marinized displays or TV screens and want more flexibility with their dash layouts and screen sizes.

“MFDs are great, but customers are limited to the screen sizes we offer,” he says, noting that each GPSMap 9500 Black Box can drive one touch-enabled screen.

This same flexibility, it turns out, makes the GPSMap 9500 Black Box attractive to owners of other vessels, including small boats. For example, Dunn says, some bass-boat owners are installing large-format displays on their bows that they network with GPSMap 9500 Black Boxes. The setup allows them to view Garmin LiveScope sonar returns.

“We’re seeing GPSMap 9500 in places we didn’t expect,” Dunn says. “They are a fraction of the cost of an MFD.”

Like the GPSMap 9000-series MFDs, GPSMap 9500 Black Boxes come with four BlueNet ports. “If you’re running more traffic on your network, BlueNet will shine,” Dunn says. BlueNet architecture can easily support Garmin’s Surround View Camera System, which uses six factory-installed cameras to deliver live bird’s-eye and 360-degree imagery around a yacht, plus distance markers for docking as well as third-party thermal-imaging cameras, digital-switching systems, radars, black-box sonars and other downstream instrumentation.

“We tried to be as expandable as possible,” Dunn says. “If you run out of BlueNet ports, you can expand your system with a network switch.”

Also, GPSMap 9500 Black Boxes can be added to existing Garmin ecosystems using Garmin Marine Network adapter cables.

The GPSMap 9500 Black Box’s BlueNet ports, Dunn says, create a future-proof system that can handle heavy data loads. BlueNet’s 1 Gbps bandwidth—one can imagine—will also be important if and when Garmin releases autonomous docking or autonomous navigation features.

GPSMap 9500 Black Box systems also come with high-bandwidth digital content protection distribution, allowing customers to enjoy the same multimedia content across all networked screens.

Alternative Interfaces

Furuno’s TZTBBX and Garmin’s GPSMap 9500 both support third-party touchscreen displays, but touch-based user interfaces don’t always pair well with sloppy seas. Furuno’s optional MCU006 and MCU006H (horizontal) controllers have RotoKey and buttons, while Garmin’s optional Wireless Remote Control (GRID 20 Vertical and GRID 20 Horizontal) offers hard-key user interfaces. 

The post Furuno and Garmin Black-Box Computers appeared first on Yachting.

There’s an African proverb that says, “Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.” It’s often the difficult experiences at sea which offer the most valuable lessons, especially when the weather takes a turn for the nautical.

Maritime safety hinges on continuous advancements, particularly as vessels operate in increasingly busy waters and in unpredictable weather conditions. Sea.AI, an innovator in AI for maritime vision, is enhancing its capabilities by integrating Tocaro Blue’s radar perception software, ProteusCore, into its navigation platform.

Integrating ProteusCore with Sea.AI’s system marks a major step in maritime safety technology, introducing a comprehensive multi-sensor approach to navigation. This process merges ProteusCore’s radar capabilities with Sea.AI’s platform, enabling the visualization of filtered radar targets within the Sea.AI interface.

This integration merges data from optical, thermal, AIS, and radar systems into one interface, simplifying operator decision-making and improving detection accuracy. It enhances the differentiation between true targets and noise, boosting situational awareness and reducing false alarms that could disrupt operations.

By combining radar with visual technologies, this collaboration sets new safety benchmarks for various maritime applications. The integrated radar perception technology is applicable across diverse maritime environments.

Since 2018, Sea.AI has led maritime technology innovation with onboard safety systems utilizing machine vision. These systems enhance operators’ ability to navigate by relying on a vast database of annotated marine objects for precise recognition. Using advanced camera technology and AI, it detects and classifies objects that conventional systems like radar or AIS might miss.

ProteusCore transforms marine radar into a sophisticated perception tool by leveraging machine learning. It addresses the limitations of traditional radar technology, such as slow scanning speeds and excess noise, by using over two million labeled radar images for training.

Radar is excellent at detecting objects at great distances and in challenging conditions, but it has not been extensively used for advanced navigation assistance due to its inherent limitations. ProteusCore overcomes these with machine learning models that enhance detection, eliminate noise, and track objects precisely.

Marcus Warellmann, Sea.AI’s CEO, states, “Merging radar with optical and thermal vision enables us to deliver an AI-enhanced safety system, transforming instruments into intelligent tools.” John Minor, CEO of Tocaro Blue, adds, “This collaboration brings powerful sensor fusion to enhance maritime situational awareness, supporting Sea.AI’s mission of sea safety.”

The post Advancing Maritime Safety appeared first on Yachting.

FLIR and Garmin, two of the biggest names in marine electronics, have separately unveiled new products intended to help skippers enhance situational awareness on the boat.

The FLIR JCU-4 remote control is intended to allow precision control of the company’s marine thermal and visible cameras. The remote control is compatible with FLIR’s M232, M300, M400/M400XR and M500 series, and with legacy models. Its features include pan, tilt and zoom, and control of all additional camera functions with an ergonomic keypad and joystick control.

With a low-profile, three-axis design, the joystick is mounted with a 2.9-inch color LCD and keypad. A dimmable color LCD and backlit keypad help to preserve the skipper’s night vision. The JCU-4 can be configured between FLIR marine cameras and marine monitors or chartplotters, and three custom keys can be programmed for quick access to user-defined camera functions.

“Designed by mariners, for mariners, the JCU-4 is a meaningful upgrade for those who actively navigate using thermal technology and require dependable and intuitive control of their FLIR camera,” the company stated in a press release.

Also aiming to help boaters feel more confident out on the water, Garmin announced a software update for some GPSMap and EchoMap chartplotters that adds AIS warning messaging to help reduce the risk of collisions.

AIS, when connected to a Garmin chartplotter, can provide real-time information about the position, speed and heading of other AIS-equipped vessels. The AIS targets can be displayed on top of a live chart or a radar display. With the software update, Garmin’s chartplotters will also display AIS message types 12 and 14—addressed and broadcast warning messages—in addition to collision-avoidance alerts.

Garmin’s AIS warnings for object detection are available for these chartplotters: GPSMap 9000, 9500, 8600, 8600xsv, 8700, 7×3/9×3/12×3/16×3 and 10×2/12×2 series, along with the EchoMap Ultra 2 and UHD2 touchscreen series. A Garmin AIS-capable device is also required. 

What does the FLIR JCU-4 cost? Price is $1,699. To learn more, click over to flir.com

Where to learn more about Garmin’s software update: visit garmin.com

The post Helm Upgrades With FLIR And Garmin appeared first on Yachting.

In seventh grade, Matthew Zimmerman dreamed of playing in the rock band Metallica. He picked up an electric bass, and by high school, he was playing upright bass. In college, he joined the University of Rhode Island’s jazz band and his professor’s house band—experiences with steep learning curves. Zimmerman was on the six-year plan, “adding majors.” He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in French and German, another bachelor’s in ocean engineering, and several key relationships.

“There’s lots of connections between engineering students and music,” he says, referring to the mathematics of music. “You don’t notice a great bass player unless they mess up. Obstacle avoidance is like that: Best case, you avoid catastrophe.”

His path to becoming FarSounder’s co-founder and CEO took root during those college years, when he began working with Jim Miller, a professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering. A graduate student had been working with Miller on a three-dimensional forward-looking sonar project. When that student left, Zimmerman took over. The project earned some publicity, and they got a call from an oil company.

“I either had to find a job or turn the FLS project into my job,” Zimmerman says while sitting at the conference table in FarSounder’s Warwick, Rhode Island, headquarters. Their technology wasn’t a good fit for slow-turning oil tankers, but the call inspired confidence. “Our motivation was to help mariners avoid hitting whales and rocks.”

Zimmerman and Miller formed FarSounder in 2001 using private funding from family, friends and angel investors. Miller kept his position at the university and joined FarSounder’s board of directors. Given that Zimmerman was 24 and more interested in developing sensor technology than in business operations, the company hired—and then fired—a CEO. Enter Cheryl Zimmerman, Matthew’s mother. She had helped form the company, and her business experience made her an ideal replacement as FarSounder’s CEO.

“I didn’t see my mom at work,” Zimmerman says. “I saw Cheryl.”

Unlike sonars that detect fish, FarSounder’s 3D FLS technology was designed to help owners wend past icebergs and coral heads and dodge whales, all while creating their own high-resolution seafloor charts. FarSounder landed its first sale in 2004 and shipped its first product in 2005. “Our first customers were cruise ships and large yachts,” Zimmerman says. The company was also awarded several small-business innovation research grants that enabled years of research and development, and it earned its first (of eight) patents in 2006.

“In 2008 and 2009, we transitioned from R&D work to being a commercial company,” Zimmerman says. “We had around 15 employees at our largest.” This includes Matthew Coolidge, director of hardware development, and Evan Lapisky, director of software engineering, who have both worked at FarSounder since 2002. Zimmerman met them in the university’s jazz band. “Music is acoustics,” he says.

The pandemic brought FarSounder’s first major business headwinds, as supply chains became sticky. The company then moved to semi-remote operations and reconfigured some designs, which got it through the crux.

Listen: Virtual Q&A: FarSounder Argos 350 Forward-Looking Sonar

Things began to settle down, and Matthew Zimmerman took over as CEO in May 2022, a few months after Russia invaded Ukraine. Successive waves of sanctions were imposed, and the company’s second serious business challenge in two years arrived. Oligarchs, after all, adore their superyachts.

Today, the company is still plowing forward. I also spent time with Zimmerman at Wickford Shipyard’s marina. We carried heavy cases down to Cap’n Bert, a 53-foot research vessel owned and operated by the university. Our first stop was the bridge, where we met Capt. Stephen Barber. We were joined by Lapisky and Heath Henley, FarSounder’s senior application engineer (and a guitar player).

The FarSounder team unpacked an Argos 500 (see sidebar) and pole-mounted its transceiver onto Cap’n Bert’s bow. Then we headed out toward Narragansett Bay and the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge. I had a great view of a laptop running a split-screen view, with two-thirds of the monitor displaying FarSounder’s 3D FLS imagery, and the other third displaying top-down FLS imagery and automatic identification system data layered atop National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cartography.

Impressively, the Argos 500 also creates and stores a high-resolution local history map of the ground covered. “When you see something that doesn’t correlate with the chart, that’s what you want to pay attention to,” Zimmerman says.

The local history map looked exactly like how I imagine the seafloor would appear to a scuba diver. As we approached the Jamestown Bridge, I stared at the screen. The working pilings were visible, as were a set of parallel footings. “That’s the old Jamestown Bridge,” Zimmerman says. This latter span was demolished in 2006, and the Argos 500 painted a detailed view of its remnants in customizable colors.

Ahead, a fast ride ripped a white streak through Narragansett Bay’s blue waters. Zimmerman asked Barber to head toward the wake. As we approached, the Argos 500’s range decreased to a few boatlengths.

“Air bubbles are really good acoustic reflectors,” Zimmerman says. “They block the acoustic energy from going to the other side.”

As we cleared the wake, the system’s normal range resumed.

“We’re a software company that makes really big dongles,” Zimmerman told me later, back at the company’s headquarters. “Software makes it possible, but hardware makes it feasible.”

Zimmerman led me to FarSounder’s testing lab and nearby assembly room. “We do all assembly and testing in-house,” he says, adding that FarSounder uses off-the-shelf components whenever possible. Other parts, including the transducers’ piezoelectric ceramics, are manufactured to FarSounder’s specs by third parties—often between larger-volume jobs for other clients. “All components are made in the USA,” he says. “This helps us control quality.” Vendors often warehouse completed components, allowing FarSounder to practice just-in-time manufacturing.

A testing room has a large water tank with a submerged calibrated hydrophone. A hoist lowers FarSounder transceivers into the water, and the hydrophone broadcasts a known frequency sequence to the transducer. Zimmerman points to a monitor that displays the results from 3,600 angles tested simultaneously. “We correct for variance on an individual level,” he says.

Listening to Zimmerman talk about acoustics testing is a reminder that, while he’s mastered 3D FLS sensors, music is his native language.

Coolidge, who designs FarSounder’s electrical components, says the company has made a lot of upgrades to reduce assembly time since the pandemic-era slowdowns. These changes also added future-proofing, but even still, navigating past the Russia sanctions required different thinking. Prior to 2022, Russian ownership accounted for roughly 20 percent to 50 percent of the world’s largest superyachts. Once the sanctions hit, “everything stopped,” Zimmerman says.

The workaround involved adjusting FarSounder’s sales strategy. One green shoot has been the unmanned-surface-vessel market. Another growth trend has been toward yachts with smaller waterlines. Zimmerman hints at a possible smaller system for trawlers; it could be a boon for yacht owners and the scientific community.

In 2023, FarSounder also partnered with Seabed 2030 (see Yachting, May 2024), which aims to map the world’s oceans by 2030. Zimmerman led me to a meeting room where a large screen displayed a FarSounder customer’s recent cruise. “Most of our customers are going places that aren’t well-mapped,” he says, noting that FarSounder sends some clients USB hard drives to capture their systems’ raw data. If issues arise, customers can send the drive to FarSounder, where engineers can troubleshoot and, if necessary, refine the company’s algorithms. These customers can also opt into a fleet-sharing arrangement, where FarSounder sends their anonymous, low-resolution data to Seabed 2030.

In exchange, FarSounder gives these customers access to high-resolution files from the greater fleet-sharing community. This means the customers enjoy some of the world’s finest charts.

And FarSounder sometimes informally collaborates with NOAA scientists. On a recent whale-sounding trip to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, FarSounder equipment detected humpback whales exhibiting interesting diving behaviors. These findings, Zimmerman says, surprised the NOAA marine biologists.

Zimmerman’s eyes lit up as he talked about FarSounder sensors helping to advance science and protect whales. Listening to him talk, I understood what he meant about bass players and obstacle avoidance: FarSounder’s frequencies may be inaudible, but they’re providing game-changing returns on several levels. 

Forward-Looking Returns

The Argos 350 ($57,000) searches 1,148 feet in front of a vessel’s bow at up to 18 knots. The Argos 500 ($108,000) probes 1,640 feet at 20 knots, and the Argos 1000 ($184,000) can prod 3,281 feet at 25 knots. Each one broadcasts shorter, quieter transmissions for infield detection and longer, louder pings for outfield work.

Take the next step: farsounder.com

The post FarSounder’s Argos Collision-Avoidance System Reviewed appeared first on Yachting.

It was 0100 on the tennessee-tombigbee waterway, and Capt. Scott “Red” Flowers was running his Canyon Bay 28h at 17 knots. He encountered a tugboat pushing barges. The tug was illuminated, but the barges were dark. While Flowers is a self-described “old-school radar guy,” the situation was confusing and unfurling fast. Then his Tocaro Blue Proteus Hub prompted him with collision-avoidance alerts. “I hate to admit it,” he says, “but without Proteus, I may have gotten into the barges.”

Instead of crashing, Flowers completed his Great Loop Challenge route in 19 days, 19 hours and 50 minutes, besting the record by nine days while raising $1 million for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Radar is one of the most important collision-avoidance sensors afloat, but reading radar imagery is an art that can take years to master. It can be frustrating for boaters who only get out on the water a handful of times a season. Tocaro Blue’s Proteus Hub navigation system uses AI machine learning to demystify radar. It bolsters situational awareness by way of built-in cartography and networked automatic identification system data, creating user-friendly two- and three-dimensional screen views of the water ahead on compatible multi- function displays.

Tocaro Blue’s Proteus Hub ($2,950) is a black-box system that networks with a yacht’s NMEA 2000 backbone, also letting it access the boat’s AIS, compass (ideally, its satellite compass), depth transducer and GPS (or GNSS) sensor data. Proteus then connects with the MFD via Ethernet to access data from a compatible magnetron or solid- state radar and to display its 2D and 3D screen views.

Read More: New Yacht Tech for a New Season

Proteus Hubs are built from aluminum and Delrin plastic. They measure 8-by-4-by-1.5 inches. They sport 4G LTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi antennas and connectivity, along with N2K, HDMI, USB and Ethernet ports. They also come loaded with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charts, and with bathymetric data sourced from Tocaro Blue’s user community. C-Map cartography is optional.

Proteus Hubs contain a central processing unit that runs Tocaro Blue’s machine-learning software, which “learns”—sans human instruction or programming—by applying algorithms and statistical models to networked data. Tocaro Blue also offers a software developer kit called Proteus Core that allows using the machine-learning software aboard third-party hardware.

“The intent with Proteus is to provide clear, smart navigation to the captain,” says Andrew Rains, Tocaro Blue’s senior sales director. “By that, we mean reducing the complexity of existing nautical charts and radar displays, and combining a lot of sensor information into one simple interface.”

In the case of radar, Tocaro Blue’s auto-focus function uses machine learning to eliminate irrelevant radar returns, such as land and wave noise. It classifies returns into one of eight categories: land, shoreline constructions, bridges, wake, aids to navigation, small boats (less than 40 feet), medium-size vessels (40 to 150 feet) and large vessels (larger than 150 feet). All of them are represented graphically by icons.

“We can draw a picture of a real object instead of just a radar blob on the screen,” Rains says, noting that Proteus Hubs can classify and track an unlimited number of targets. “That lets us present a lot of information in a simplified format.”

The auto-focus function also helps the system predict how radar targets will behave, and it provides corresponding alert levels. For example, Rains says, small boats tend to exhibit more erratic behavior than large ships. Tocaro Blue’s machine-learning software uses its classification system, embedded cartography, and data coming from other networked sensors to predict the future behavior of its own vessel and of acquired targets over a 30-second horizon.

If this sounds like signal filtering on steroids, welcome to the AI age.

“Machine learning is a lot more sophisticated than filtering, but I’d say that we can intelligently filter [radar targets] because we use machine learning,” Rains says. Raw radar data, he adds, is better for the system’s machine-learning software than post-processed radar returns such as Doppler processing. “Machine learning gets better with the better data that you feed it.”

For example, if the system knows that some returns are land or aids to navigation based on its cartography, then its machine learning can focus on identifying the other targets and predicting their behavior.

This information, plus closest-point-of-approach data to all targets, is presented on a graphically intuitive 2D or 3D screen view on the networked MFD. Users can split their MFD screen between a Proteus Hub screen view and standard radar imagery.

The result, Rains says, is far greater situational awareness than bloblike radar returns, especially when tricky navigation or dodgy crossings are involved.

“It eliminates the question: What’s that?” Rains says. “It eliminates the time that they need to spend learning how to use all their radar capabilities.”

More-advanced users get the most value from the system, he adds, because the software “can present really intelligent collision-avoidance alerts to the captain.” Even old salts, of course, can get distracted.

Looking ahead, Tocaro Blue’s future appears equally clear. Recent years have seen the rise of optical-based collision-avoidance systems, and Rains says the Proteus Core software could complement this technology by residing on third-party hardware. In time, Tocaro Blue’s machine-learning software could also help demystify other instrumentation—say, forward-looking sonar returns. However, Rains says, this isn’t on the company’s immediate road map.

Tocaro Blue’s machine-learning software can also ferret out errors in networked sensors. For example, most autopilots are only accurate to a few degrees unless a satellite compass is involved. (This inherent error can be compounded by the presence of ferrous metals within ships and bridges.) Rains says Tocaro Blue’s machine-learning software can perform a “constellation lock” and triangulate on known reference points, using cartographic and radar data to correct for sensor biases.

While there’s currently no feedback loop to the erroneous native sensors, in time, Rains says, this information could make autopilots and other networked sensors more accurate.

So, for skippers who find radar confusing or want to increase situational awareness, Proteus Hub is worth investigating. Just ask Red Flowers. Despite holding his captain’s license for 45 years, his night on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway could have ended differently without Tocaro Blue’s technology.

Busting Loose

For now, Proteus is available to boaters as a black-box system that networks with a vessel’s N2K and Ethernet networks to access radar and instrumentation data. Tocaro Blue may move to a software-as-a-service model and sell Proteus Core to boaters as software that runs aboard a personal computer or multifunction display. 

The post Smart Navigation with Tocaro Blue’s Proteus Hub appeared first on Yachting.

Dockmares have a way of burrowing into the psyche. As a kid, Michelle Hildyard was cruising England’s southern coast with her family aboard Storm King, their Kings Cruiser 29. As they tucked into Langstone Harbour, waves were heaving Storm King—and the dock—while Hildyard’s dad made his approach. Then Hildyard’s sister, impatient to debark, leapt from the moving boat and blew her landing. Hildyard’s mom grabbed the helm, and her dad scooped her sister back aboard. “She could have gotten squished,” Hildyard recalls.

Jump to 2024, and Hildyard, who was recently promoted to vice president of operations at Raymarine and FLIR Maritime, has the opportunity to help make boating a better, safer experience for everyone.

Hildyard joined Raymarine 20 years ago. Since then, the powerboats that she and her husband have owned have grown in size and complexity, as have her job responsibilities. Now 47, she grew up in Southampton on England’s southern coast, a short distance from Southampton Water, a tidal estuary that spills into the Solent. This is one of the world’s great boating areas. The Isle of Wight is nearby, as is the storied English Channel.

“I started sailing dinghies when I was 8,” Hildyard says. “I enjoyed racing, and I did that competitively for a number of years.”

For college, Hildyard moved north to the landlocked University of Reading, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in pathobiology. Next came a move to London, where she worked in the cable TV business, first as a strategy and network development manager for Cable & Wireless Communications, and then as a procurement manager for Sky TV.

Yet, the sea’s gravity was never far from her mind. “I always had friends back home on the south coast, and I always used to come and do a lot of boating,” Hildyard says.

Her entry to the marine industry involved some serendipity. Hildyard met her future husband racing dinghies as teenagers. By the mid-2000s, they were a pair. “He didn’t want to move to London, so we decided that I’d finish my stint in London,” she says. “A job came up at Raymarine, along with a couple other supply-chain jobs. What swayed me to Raymarine was because it was in the marine industry.”

Hildyard began in 2005, at the height of the industry’s pre-Great Recession boom. She was a supply-chain manager, a position that she held for 18 months before getting promoted to commercial director. She and her husband took up power cruising in 2007 when they purchased a Fairline Phantom 40.

The Great Recession began later that year, and “things weren’t brilliant,” Hildyard recalls. Raymarine was still an independent company at the time. “I learned a lot because I was working with the bankers, with the financial advisers, about how to support Raymarine in restructuring to be sold.”

By May 2010, FLIR Systems, the US-based thermal-imaging giant, had purchased Raymarine. “One of the things we took on at Raymarine was FLIR’s marine thermal-imaging cameras, growing that business and incorporating it into Raymarine’s portfolio,” Hildyard says. This coincided with her promotion to director of global customer service, a position that she held for more than eight years.

Around that time, anticipating the arrival of their first daughter, the Hildyards upgraded to a Fairline Phantom Targa 44. “Our eldest daughter was 10 months old when she did her first Channel crossing,” Hildyard says, “but she was on the boat at five days old.”

In 2011, Hildyard enrolled at University of Southampton Business School, where she earned her MBA. This program took three years. With graduation approaching, the family upgraded again in 2013, this time to a Fairline Targa 47 GT. “It’s a really good cruising boat,” Hildyard says, describing the layout and well-used RIB.

Today, the Hildyards are a family of four who live in Southampton, about a five-minute walk from their marina. From there, Hildyard says, it’s a 25-minute ride at 6 knots to the Solent, a route the family knows well. “On the weekends, we can go to Lymington, Beaulieu, and Cowes and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight,” she says. “A little bit farther afield and we can go to Poole or Weymouth, or across to the Channel Islands and France.”

In fall 2018, Hildyard was named vice president of customer service before becoming vice president of product management and development. One of her responsibilities in the latter role involved developing a clearer understanding of market needs and driving new product to fill niches. Layered on top of this came two major macro-level changes: the pandemic, and Teledyne’s acquisition of FLIR and Raymarine in May 2021.

“We hunkered down,” Hildyard says. “Then 2021 hit, and aside from the supply-chain shortages, it was great because the marine industry came back to life. People couldn’t travel, but they certainly wanted leisure time.” This translated to boat sales and the acquisition.

While Hildyard describes Teledyne (an American technology firm) as a great parent company that has natural synergies with FLIR and Raymarine, the marine electronics market is competitive. “To continue growing the business, we need to continue a good cadence of product introductions,” Hildyard says. “You’ve got to understand what your customers’ problems are, and you’ve got to solve those problems.”

Obvious problems, she says, involve lowering boating’s barriers to entry while engaging more experienced boaters.

“For most people, docking is horrendous. It’s the worst part of the experience,” she says, pointing to DockSense, which is Raymarine’s camera- and GPS-based assisted-docking system. “You can create [air] bumpers around your boat, and no matter how much you bring your [helm] over, it’s not going to get within a half a meter of that pontoon or hit another boat.”

While Hildyard sees DockSense and other AI-based technologies as crucial, she’s aware of the coin’s other side. “A lot of people buy a boat for the pleasure of sailing or driving it,” she says. “Automation and AI must enhance that experience, rather than take over.”

One example of this, Hildyard says, is advanced technologies that help anglers find fish faster while reducing their time and fuel burn.

Looking ahead, Hildyard expects several important waypoints that need to be met as the boating world catches up to the digital age. The first involves connectivity and digital switching.

“When you go out cruising or fishing, you want to know that your boat is ready; you want to be able to check things in advance,” she says. While these home-type technologies are finding their way aboard, Hildyard says the sea change will take another few years.

On the three- to five-year horizon, Hildyard expects automation and AI to play increasingly bigger roles. But as a lifelong boater, she understands there’s a fine line involved. “I think it’s how you apply it in the industry that’s going to be very interesting, and how people want to use it,” she says.

Looking five to 10 years down the course, Hildyard expects to see fully autonomous yachts. “Making the right decisions on what sensors to develop and what technologies to prioritize is going to be critical,” she says, noting that this task, along with fostering in-house innovations and outside partnerships, is a big part of her role.

There’s no question that technologies like DockSense would have added serious safety margins the day that Hildyard’s sister fell overboard. A lifelong boater with decades of industry experience may have precisely the right combination of expertise to guide Raymarine and FLIR through the evolutions that will decide boating’s future.

Side Rides

In addition to their Fairline Targa 47 GT, the Hildyards recently acquired an e-foil board, giving the family the chance to experience the boating world’s coolest craze. Also, the Targa 47 GT carries a Williams Jet Tender, which they use to get ashore and to support their watersports habit.

The post An Interview with Raymarine’s Michelle Hildyard appeared first on Yachting.