When away I will need constant internet access. Not at sea but before leaving port to get a selection of weather forecasts and when I arrive to post pictures and my reports to the blog on the web site. I will also need to keep up to date with email and to keep sponsors and supporters up to date with my progress and plans.
Until now I knew it would be possible but I hadn't given it any serious thought how I would do it. As a worst case I would find an internet cafe and post my reports from there.
Thinking about it... I have a super mobile phone, a Nokia N95, which is a full computer and so I should be able to use that for almost everything. So last weekend I set about seeing what I could do with my N95 combined with a laptop, to make it easier for me to keep in touch.
In this article I have described all the major techie components on the boat... some for communication, some for safety. Please click on the "read more" to see what I have done ...
N95 - a phone? No, a full-blown computer!
I am not going to do a report on the N95. It is one of the most popular smartphones at the moment and there are reports all over the internet on it. However, I will say this... it is everything that those reports make it out to be. Everything I do for this trip, be it photographs, blog reports, storing and reviewing passage plans, using Microsoft Word and Excel for various documents and reports, can all be done using the N95. I can even use it as a bluetooth modem for the laptop for where I want a bigger screen.
So, most of what I do regarding keeping in touch will involve this little computer.
Laptop
Although I can do everything through the N95 there are times when a bigger screen would help and then I will use my laptop. It is a Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC running Windows XP. Although this is a very modestly specified system with just 512mb RAM and a fairly slow 1.7Mhz processor, it runs Windows XP very well and it will allow me to duplicate the software I used for the planning and also provide a chartplotter capability using the super PC Plotter 5000 software kindly donated by Garry Symes. I plan to have the laptop up and running on all legs and to have it log my progress.
I will be using the N95 as a 3G modem so I will have full internet access at any time I need it.
Chartplotter
I have a very modest plotter/GPS... a Lowrance LMS-332C. It is a 5" screen with sounder/fishfinder. I will be using Navionics Gold electronic charts. This is an excellent navigation tool and when combined with the PC Plotter computer software it gives me the ability to plan a route accurately on the PC using the actual charts I will use in the plotter when I am at sea. I can then transfer the routes from the PC to the plotter via an SD memory card. The combination of the PC Plotter software, this chartplotter and the Navionics Gold charts means that I will have little need to refer to paper charts for simple route navigation. The paper charts should always be carried and used though as it is impossible to do everything on a chartplotter and they can and do break down!
This chartplotter has NMEA 2000 so it is dead easy to connect up new devices and sensors. I have a data interface to the Suzuki DF115 engine that allows me to display engine data on the plotter overlayed onto the chart: RPM, oil temp, cylinder head temp, engine hours and trim angle are just some of the data items available. I also have a fuel flow sensor giving me very accurate fuel usage data in real time.
It also has a NMEA0183 output which feeds the GPS position to the VHF DSC radio.
VHF Radios
I have a Raymarine 54E as my main radio which is fed the GPS position via NMEA0183 from the chartplotter.
I also have an Entel HT640 Submersible VHF - Built to commercial grade standards and designed for extreme conditions, this rugged radio is fully submersible to a depth of 5 meters for 60 mins.
Backup GPS/Chartplotter
Technology is wonderful but it goes wrong and usually when you need it most so that is why I will have a Garmin GPSMAP 76CS as a backup to the backup! OK, I admit that having 3 chartplotters is a little unnecessary but I own it already so I might as well have it with me.
This is a great device and I would strongly recommend anyone wanting a handheld GPS/Chartplotter for boating and walking use to seriously consider one of these. The marine charts, called Bluechart, are not cheap but they are excellent and worth the money in my opinion.
I would like to thank Garmin for supplying me with Bluechart maps for the UK.
What happens if I fall overboard?
When at sea alone this is always a concern. It is all very well informing someone on shore of my departure and arrival (which is well worth doing) but they will not raise the alarm until after your ETA. That could be hours after you fall overboard and too late. The RNLI have kindly agreed to install MOB Guardian.
This system is in constant contact with a tag carried in my pocket and also with the central control room in Poole, Dorset. Should I go overboard and get separated from the boat the system will automatically raise the alarm via satellite. What a comfort it is to know that help will be on the way within minutes and not hours!
It is the law and common sense for all vessels to have a radar reflector. Modern GRP boats have a very poor radar signature and my boat especially given its small size and so I will have not just a reflector but an enhancer.
A normal reflector simply bounces back the radar signal. This is quite a hit and miss affair with much of the signal being scattered and only a very small percentage of it actually being returned to the radar antenna. The Sea Me does much more; It transmits a signal of its own back to the radar hugely magnifying the radar return on the screen.
Tests show that radar target enhancers are significantly better than even the best reflectors. They aren't cheap but for a small boat it is the only way to get a good return on radar and be seen in poor weather.
EPIRB - Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon
PLB - Personal Locator Beacon
If I need to take to the Liferaft then I will need a way for the Search and Rescue to find me and this is where the EPIRB comes into its own. In fact, it does much more than that because once activated it sends a signal via satellite to the rescue centre along with my GPS location so they know I am in trouble and they know my position. The EPIRB is registered to me so that they know who is in trouble and contact details etc.
They come in a variety of sizes and the bigger ones often have hydrostatic release devices to activate the beacon automatically if the boat sinks but I have gone for a personal version that is small and light enough to carry with me or strap to my lifejacket.
Thanks to Ocean Safety for supplying me with this ACR AquaFix 406 GPS model.
I have a Raymarine 54E as my main radio which is fed the GPS position via NMEA0183 from the chartplotter.
If I need to take to the Liferaft then I will need a way for the Search and Rescue to find me and this is where the EPIRB comes into its own. In fact, it does much more than that because once activated it sends a signal via satellite to the rescue centre along with my GPS location so they know I am in trouble and they know my position. The EPIRB is registered to me so that they know who is in trouble and contact details etc.
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