Nous nous sommes entretenu avec William Porter alias B.J. Porter, Ambassadeur TIMEZERO et navigateur à plein temps. Nous avons voulu en savoir un peu plus sur ce qu’il pense de la dernière version du logiciel professionnel TZ Professional v3. B.J. gère un blog où il partage son expérience et des articles sur la navigation : conseils et astuces pour maintenir son bateau en bonne santé, témoignages, découvertes géographiques, …
Isabelle Joschke needs little introduction. She is a household name that reaches outside the world of sailing as being one of the few women that sails and wins off-share racing titles in competitions dominated by men. Last July, she took second place in the Transat Quebec – Saint Malo on board her Class40 Generali Horizon Mixité.
One of our longstanding TIMEZERO Ambassador, Ian Thomson recently got in touch to talk about the new software and let us know what he thinks about the new TZ Navigator v3.
Ian Thomson runs the charity Ocean Crusaders. While we won’t go into detail about the concept behind Ocean Crusaders, you can pretty much get the picture from the title. His crusade tries to save the holy land which in this case is actually water and not land but it still makes sense. One could even deduce that Ian is actually a knight of the sea, although I’m not sure that title is officially recognized. Does his boat have a round table? Perhaps a question for a another time. Is TZ Navigator v3 the key to the quest to find the Holy Grail? Perhaps, but what we really wanted to find out was about how he uses TIMEZERO software.
Utilisateur et partenaire MaxSea depuis de nombreuses années, Henry Antoine est également un arbitre de courses à l’internationale au sein de l’International Sailing Federation (ISAF). A travers cette entrevue, il revient pour nous sur son utilisation de la version 3 de TZ Professional et sur la technologie TIMEZERO.
Je suis partenaire MaxSea depuis plusieurs années. J’utilise la version TZ Professional v3 dans le cadre des courses à la voile. Etant International Race Officer, MaxSea est un outil formidable pour l’établissement des parcours de course et la visualisation des fichiers météo pour établir une stratégie et un calcul fiable des prévisions de temps de course.
Nous avons pris contact avec Philippe Roussel, l’un des Beta testeurs TIMEZERO. Philippe Roussel a travaillé pendant plus de 25 ans chez un leader mondial dans la fabrication d’instruments pour la course au large. A ce titre, il a effectué les essais de compatibilité de nos logiciels avec des instruments spécifiques à la course au large, utilisant notre logiciel pour gagner les régates les plus ardues. Ce mois-ci la plaisance a pris le pas sur le compétition.
Image: L’équipement du bateau de Philippe Roussel
Quelle est la dernière route sur laquelle TIMEZERO vous a accompagné ?
Nous sommes partis de LOCMIQUELIC (près de Lorient) et avons fait escales à Muxia, Porto, Lisbonne puis Madère. Nous visitons Madère et Porto Santo. Nous remontons la semaine prochaine via Cadix, Portimao, Sines, Lisbonne, Figuera Da Foz, Viana Do Castelo, Pontevedra, La Corogne puis retour à LOCMIQUELIC. Tous les ans nous organisons une croisière de printemps avec des copains pour découvrir du pays. Cette année nous avions envie de découvrir Madère.
Pourquoi avoir choisi TIMEZERO ?
Le choix à d’abord était professionnel. Puis pour avoir navigué avec TZ, j’ai beaucoup apprécié.
Comment s’est passé l’installation du materiel ?
Très bien et très rapidement, aucun problème.
Avez-vous eu l’occasion de comparer TIMEZERO avec d’autre logiciels, en quoi se distingue-t’il ?
Oui, la fluidité du zoom est excellente, le routage très utile à la voile est pertinent et beaucoup d’informations sont disponibles (météo, courant..) c’est un logiciel très convivial.
Pourquoi est-il important d’avoir un logiciel pour la navigation de plaisance ?
Le logiciel de navigation facilite énormément la navigation sur un voilier, une fois que l’on a goûté à ça il est difficile de s’en passer.
Merci & bonne navigation !
The Rolex Middle Sea Race is one of the classic offshore sailing races, often mentioned in the same breath as other well-known races such as the Rolex Fastnet. It began in 1968 and 2014 was the 35th edition. 122 yachts from 24 nationalities took part, with boats ranging in size from 9.5 to 30.5 metres. This year, MaxSea partners Team Jolokia competed in the race, which began on October 18th, 2014.
Team Jolokia is unique in that it promotes the strength of diversity. Their crew is made up of people from different walks of life – seniors, young people, women and men, disabled or able-bodied, from all social backgrounds.
The race: 608 nautical miles long, starting at Grand Harbour, Valletta, ending at Marsamxett Harbour.
Here are the reactions of a few members of Team Jolokia after the Rolex Middle Sea Race:
“During the race I was particularly impressed by Gaël (Renault), my shift supervisor. To see a paraplegic shift supervisor sailing at 40 knots with 6 metre bumps along the way was truly inspiring and I have to hand it to the guy!
He was very calm and a good teacher. He has so much experience and knows how to pass it on to the other crew members. The atmosphere was very good as a result and everyone found their own role within the team. Our race result was very respectable! At the end, the conditions were tough but we handled it. We finished in the first 20 boats, among a total of 130 – that’s really good!
We definitely have a boat made for extreme weather conditions but our crew was quite inexperienced with these conditions. We are proud of our race and our result!
What we saw in terms of human and sporting achievements was amazing. How many people in the world can say they have experienced what we experienced on a VO’60, with such a diverse group of people in unsteady seas? I want to continue to be part of it!”
Some of the Team JOLOKIA crew wearing MaxSea caps and t-shirts on board
“What a race! 36 hours going at 35 or 40 knots, all in sublime landscapes that were just breath-takingly beautiful. This route around Sicily is really exciting for a sailor!
The crew was ready to face these difficult sea conditions and never gave up despite the mountains of water that crashed against us.
I think we have again shown that diversity is sustainable. When we arrived, we once again earned the respect of our competitors, they now see that the difference is also a strength.”
We’d like to congratulate Team Jolokia on their performance and look forward to their 2015 races!
Since 1975, Joëlle and Janusz Kurbiel from IMERPOL, have dedicated their lives to the exploration of the North Pole. For the last few years, they have navigated through this region with the help of TZ Navigator, their marine navigation software.
In this post, Janusz shares his favourite books written about the Arctic. So if you planning to navigate in this region, make sure to read as many of these books as you can!
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If you need further information on how to purchase any of these books, just leave a comment below. Safe journey!
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On February 1st, the French TV channel TF1 broadcast a special report named “Sailors like no others”*. The show was presented by well-known French television personality Claire Chazal and gives us a recap of the 2013 season for Team Jolokia: their crew selections and the Rolex Fastnet Race.
*Original title: “Des marins pas comme les autres”
Team Jolokia is a MaxSea partner, and this sailing team has recently been receiving increased media attention. This is due in part to the fact that this successful team comprises twenty-five people from different backgrounds, including seniors, young people, men, women, able-bodied or disabled.
For more than 30 minutes, the camera recounts an intense year of emotion: Tour de Belle -Ile, Armen Race, Record SNSM, and finally the race of the year: the Rolex Fastnet Race! We are shown several moments experienced by the crew of novices, for better or for worse!
The report also immerses us in the personal lives of these amateurs: envy, challenge or discovery, they reveal why they signed up for this unique adventure.
We also see beautiful landscapes at sea and ashore. The crew shows us their desire to excel to achieve a common goal.
This TV show can be viewed in French by clicking here.
A report by Aurélie Saillard and Robert Iséni
Production: GEDEON Programmes
Editing: Manuel Odinet
Well done, Team Jolokia on this great TV report!
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MaxSea’s partner Team Jolokia is committed to promoting diversity in their racing crew and they have enjoyed huge success over the last few years. This winter, Jolokia team’s big events are taking place primarily on land. Selections are being made for the 2014 crew and a TV report was broadcast on the French channel TF1 on Saturday February 1st.
Team Jolokia is definitely continuing its momentum and starting the New Year with a bang!
The first steps in the crew selection process took place in Paris on January 27th and more will be run on February 6th and 7th, followed by Lorient which is the home port of their vessel, in late February and early March.
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Tests on land and Seine – Three Selection Phases
Phase 1
In the previous try-outs 130 candidates sent in applications during the 6 months following Jolokia’s ad. However, in the 2014 try-outs, between October and November 2013, they received 190 applications to be considered in the first phase of selection.
The number of applications was a great success for the Team, as it continues to receive more and more support. Among all of these diverse and highly-motivated profiles, 45 were selected to participate in the second phase of selection.
.Phase 2
This group included 27 men and 18 women from all backgrounds, aged between 18 and 64, from all over France and into Germany, Poland and Spain. They all wanted to join the adventure of diversity that Team Jolokia offers.
Sailing skills, team spirit, ability to share and commitment are all criteria used by Team Jolokia to make these selections. These qualities are desirable as they help enrich the whole team.
Candidates met on January 27 at the premises of the Navy in Saint -Lazare. There, they took written tests on various topics such as weather, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics etc. This was followed by written psychological tests. The Navy is a loyal partner of our Team, and we use the expertise of their psychologists in the recruitment for extreme trades.
On February 6th and 7th, the Nautical club of Sèvres will welcome Team Jolokia for the second consecutive year.
On the Programme: dinghy regattas between barges on the Seine and indoor physical and sports tests.
To complete the day, motivational talks will be given by the organisers as well as psychological interviews with the Navy.
.Phase 3
The third phase of selections will be held in Lorient, home port of Team Jolokia’s boat: 3 days of navigating aboard the Volvo Ocean 60. Two sessions are planned to welcome the future teammates in late February and mid-March.
At the end of the third phase, the crew will have 25 teammates in 2014: 17 new candidates and 8 of the 2013 crew will continue the adventure.
.The Team Jolokia Adventure on Television!
The report “Des Marins Pas Comme Les Autres” (“Sailors Like No Others”) recounts the 2013 season, selections of the crew leading up to the Rolex Fastnet Race. It was co-produced by GEDEON Programmes, Ushuaia TV and TF1, and runs for 32 mins.
It was broadcast on French TV channel TF1 on Saturday, February 1 at 1:20pm, just after the news, in the magazine show “Reportages” presented by Claire Chazal.
A great year for Team Jolokia begins under the sign of diversity and living together!
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Last November, the well-known French doctor Jean-Yves Chauve gave us advice on how to combat seasickness onboard. This week, he is back with more useful advice about the importance of adequate sleep, especially for racers.
Dr. Chauve is a doctor who specialises in providing remote medical assistance to sailors and boat racers. He was involved in several high-profile cases in which he aided racers via telephone to avoid dangerous health situations.
A doctor’s advice about sleeping onboard
Offshore racers know this from experience: Sleep is a necessity to maintain vigilance. It is imperative for assuring good security and your own physical performance. Tests have proven that after 16 hours without sleep, your level of drowsiness is equivalent to a BAC of 0.5 g. This means that your level of concentration is substantially impaired.
It is therefore very important to have regular periods of sleep when navigating. To sleep effectively, you must be aware that throughout the day, there are times when one is predisposed to sleep. Yawning is a sign that the body sends to indicate that it is ready to sleep. This is the moment when you should try to sleep or take a nap.
How Long should I Sleep?
Sleep duration depends on the constraints of navigation. The ideal length would be to sleep for one a complete sleep cycle, which is from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Otherwise, it can be useful to take short naps for 20 to 30 minutes. Napping regularly can be very effective for a few days. If napping is not possible, then there is the final option of “flash” naps, consisiting of just a few seconds of sleep.
When “real” sleep is impossible, this brief disconnection can allow the brain to de-stress, which is very important when engaging in such a physically demanding activity as navigating.
No matter what, make it a priority to get at least some sleep while onboard. Otherwise your judgement and physical ability will be significantly impaired.
