News

Team Ashram Qualifies for World Marlin Championships in Costa Rica!

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MaxSea is proud to be a partner of The Ashram Fishing Team. This Australian-based team recently participated in the “Seasport Charters Marlin Cup,” using MaxSea TimeZero PLOT on board. Here is their account of how the tournament went.

The team is made up of Sangeeta Menon, Andy Ziepe, Mark Jarrett and Rhyss Whittred. The Seasport Charters Marlin Cup was hosted by the Perth Game Fishing Club in Jurien Bay, and ran from February 20-23rd.

Jurien Bay is approx. 400km north of Team Ashram’s home port and boasts some excellent game fishing species. The winner of this tournament receives an invite to compete in the Offshore World Championships in Costa Rica for 2015.

Rhyss Whittred gives us his account of the tournament:

Team Ashram's boat“For our team this was the first major tournament we had competed in since I purchased my Wellcraft 270 and revamped the electronics to include Maxsea TimeZero PLOT and Furuno’s latest technology. I can’t say how keen we were to compete and in fact one of the teams there had the reigning world champion angler on board Valkoista (Craig White).

It was a 3 day tournament with your 2 best days fishing score counting towards overall championship points. The night before the tournament commenced I downloaded the latest Maxsea weather file and carefully worked out our fishing plan in line with sea surface temp, currents and plankton.

We headed out and had a cracker of a day. The Maxsea oceanic data was spot on and my team was fantastic with their art of angling and we managed Southern Blue Fin, Striped and Yellowfin Tuna to give us some great points of 2,850 points and our nearest competitors were on 375 points.

Saturday dawned and I planned to go to the same area north where we had done so well Team Ashramthe day before. Alas, the water temperature was down 2 degrees, with no bait and no birds. We could hear others on the radio with great fishing results. Unfortunately I had left my mobile phone at the hotel and couldn’t download a current weather file. We were now at a complete low and did not turn a reel for the day.

The next morning I was up very early and downloaded the weather file and made a plan of attack. In fact the good water and temperature breaks we had 2 days before where now 40kms south of Jurien and we needed to get among it. With the early start we got down there in time for lines in at 6am and once again we tagged our limit of tuna and returned to port.

The scoring by other teams was very good and it was an absolute pleasure to have revealed that the Ashram Team picked up Champion Boat, Champion Female Angler, Runner Up Male Angler and Champion Tag and Release.

So my friends at Maxsea, I thank you all for your cutting edge technology and how it all worked in so well with my Furuno equipment and helping us to win this tournament.”

– Rhyss Whittred

Thanks Rhys! And best of luck for the World Marlin Championships in Costa Rica!

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MaxSea Office Closures for Easter

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We would like to inform you that our sales department will be closed for 2 days this Easter weekend due to public holidays.

We're Closed

The dates are as follows:

– Friday April 18th
– Monday, April 21st

Please also note that Technical Support will be closed on Monday April 21st only.

Remember, you can order software, charts, modules and services 24/7, every day of the year on the MaxSea Webstore. Take a look at it here.

 

Feel free to contact us if you need any further information.

 

Download the free MaxSea guide: Cold Weather Sailing

Boat Racing for Dummies!

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Henri Antoine is an International Race Officer at the International Sailing Federation (ISAF). This week, he tells us about a recent boat racing training session that was organised for newcomers to sailing racing: Racing for Dummies!

The first ‘Racing for Dummies’ training session was held in Dunkerque, Northen France on Saturday, April 5, 2014, on the premises of the North Sea Yacht Club.

Boat racing for Dummies
A poster advertising “Racing for Dummies” training session

This event was designed to encourage boaters to take part in boat races. Boaters often want to race but are apprehensive about beginning. It is a fear of not understanding how it is done, or looking ridiculous in comparison to more seasoned competitors.

Thierry Maurick, Chairman of YCMN, (the North Sea Yacht Club) immediately found the idea interesting and fun. It was a way to bring a new audience to boat racing without any pressure in a relaxed setting. Hence the idea of the event title “For Dummies”.

The goal: to demystify and “play down” boat racing, which many people believe to be more complicated than it is.

Participants in this Dunkirk training session really enjoyed it and the event was very successful. To make it as accessible as possible, many concrete examples, diagrams and pictures were used.

MaxSea TimeZero Navigator weather forecast service explained during the boat racing training session
GRIB weather files overlaid on the chart in MaxSea TimeZero

MaxSea TimeZero was used to demonstrate how coastal routes can be easily viewed. In coastal routes in areas where marine navigation is tricky, this helped participants to quickly understand how to approach this type of race. They learned how to read and understand nautical charts in a practical way.

The participants really liked how easy it was to integrate wind information (using GRIB files in TimeZero) and tidal current data. These types of information are of course, very important for boat racing.

There was positive feedback from participants, and another session in mid-May is planned.

This was a great initiative – thanks Henri!

For more information about ISAF, please click here.

To find out more about the North Sea Yachting Club in Dunkerque, France, see their website.

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Download your free guide

Under the Pole – Underwater Polar Expeditions

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We are very happy to announce that MaxSea has recently developed a new partnership with French expedition ‘Under the Pole‘. By providing our navigation software to this great organization, we are able to contribute in some way to the fantastic research that they carry out.

What is Under the Pole?

Under the Pole carries out a series of underwater polar expeditions to explore the polar environment. Their aim is to increase scientific knowledge of the poles.

Each time they carry out a new expedition, they build up more knowledge that is added to the existing data base. Each expedition is also considered a preparation for the next one.

Lucas Santucci - Under The Pole - 2014
Lucas Santucci of Under The Pole, using MaxSea TimeZero software in 2014

What have they done so far?

From March to May, 2010, Under the Pole carried out an expedition to the North Pole, which lasted for 45 days.

Cold Weather Sailing Guide

During this trip, they studied the icecap in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, and led a unique submarine exploration under extreme conditions.

Exploring the North Pole in 2010
Exploring the North Pole in 2010

In January 2014, Under the Pole have began an expedition to West and North Greenland, which will last for 22 months altogether, and is being dubbed “Part II”.

This is a continuation of the study carried out at the North Pole. This time they will focus on the submarine environment between the pole and the polar circle.

Greenland Expedition
Greenland Expedition

What’s next?

In 2016, they will move to the other hemisphere and will lead an expedition to Antarctica.

We wish Under the Pole all the best in these exciting and enlightening expeditions!

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The Arctic is a victim of climate warming.

A fascinating world is disappearing.

Some species living there are threatened of extinction.

Many of them have not yet been observed.

 

Download the free MaxSea guide: Cold Weather Sailing

New Worldwide Tidal Data Now Available in TimeZero!

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We are happy to announce that new worldwide Tidal Data for TimeZero users is now available on our website totally free of charge.

When you download tidal data in your MaxSea TimeZero, you can view tides stations directly on your chart for the present moment as well as into the future. This is very helpful for planning the best route and departure time.

To install the new tidal data, simply go to our website and click on the link marked in red below:

Please read the PDF file here for full details of this new tidal data.

Feel free to contact us if you need any further information.

 

The Ultimate Guide to Boat Rentals

UK, Ireland and Holland Navionics Chart Updates

TIMEZERO1 Comment

The following two Navionics vector chart zones have been updated and are available as of March 24th, 2014 in our Chart Catalog:

Navionics vector chart updates

 

Enhancements

These chart zones integrate the new routing system in the southern part of the North Sea. This new organisation was put into place on the first of August, 2013 in accordance with the IMO Sub-committee on Safety of Navigation proposal NAV/58/3/2.

Significant improvements have been introduced to contour lines in general.

Here are some examples of these improvements:

Old vc. New UK Contour Lines

Old vs. New Channel Islands Contour Lines

Further details about the Mega Wide Navionics chart for UK, Ireland and Holland (MWVNEW28XGMAP6.1) can be found here.

More information on the Wide Navionics chart for the UK and Ireland (WVNEW28MAP6.1) can be viewed here.

You can find further examples of the changes made to these updates charts in our Facebook or Google+ albums.

 

Take me to the MaxSea Webstore

 

Remember!

Until April 15th, 2014, enjoy a 10% off reduction on all charts in the MaxSea webstore by entering the promo code* MX10 upon checkout, before payment.

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5 Tips for Choosing the Best Nautical Chart

US NOAA Raster and Vector Chart Updates

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Updates from March 20, 2017

We just wanted to let you know we have fresh new NOAA charts for both Raster and Vector format. There is also Block charts update only available for TZ Professional v3. Please consult the list to see which charts are involved.

Check out our Facebook page to find examples of the improvements to the charts and find out about big changes in an area near you that you may not have been aware of:
Vector | Raster

Example Screenshot of West Palm Beach NOAA Vector Chart

Chart references:

  • MWRUSAMAP10.1 NOAA Raster Charts
  • MWVSUSAMAP11.1 NOAA Vector Charts & USACE Inland Charts
  • WARUSBCMAP4.1 USA – Gulf of Mexico Block charts NOAA

 Find these charts now available in our chart catalog.

News from March 6, 2014

These US charts have been updated and are available as of March 3rd, 2014 in our Chart Catalogue:

MX NOAA Chart update


The following NOAA chart versions are now available:

NOAA Raster chart coverage (left) and NOAA Vector chart coverage (right)
NOAA Raster chart coverage (left) and NOAA Vector chart coverage (right)

Updated Information

  • Updated NOAA Vector Charts (S57): This Edition adds 71 new Vector Charts to the library as well as many other chart updates.
  • Updated NOAA Raster Charts: This new edition includes the latest chart updates that can be found on the NOAA paper charts.

Read full information about these chart updates in this PDF file.

Example of improvement to the NOAA vector charts: now buoys are numbered (right)
Example of improvement to the NOAA vector charts: now buoys are numbered (right)

NOAA charts are totally free of charge so you can download them right now, to make sure that you’re using the most up-to-date chart data available for US waters.

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5 Tips for Choosing the Best Nautical Chart

Team Jolokia on TV: Sailors like no Others!

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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

gedeonLOGO_TF1_RVB

Well done, Team Jolokia on this great TV report!

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The Ultimate Guide to Boat Rentals

Get on Board! Crew Selections for Team Jolokia 2014

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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.

Team Jolokia

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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.

Team Jolokia Mosaic

.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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Software Update: MaxSea TimeZero ECS and PLOT v2.0.4

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The MaxSea TimeZero ECS and PLOT v2.0.4 update improves compatibility with the new FURUNO DFF1-UHD TruEcho CHIRP network sounder. The DFF1-UHD (Ultra High Definition) broadband sounder delivers significant advancements in signal clarity and target definition, and is also able to send Bottom Discrimination information to TimeZero (similar to the BBDS1).

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MaxSea TimeZero Sounder Module

Thanks to its full compatibility with Furuno fish finders, the sounder module allows you to enjoy all the advanced features of Furuno sounders on your PC. The FURUNO DFF1, DFF3, BBDS1 and now the DFF1-UHD can turn your TimeZero display into a powerful, dual frequency fish finder.

MX Tech news dff1 pic 0

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The MaxSea Sounder Module is available for:

.The DFF1-UHD TruEcho CHIRP network sounder

Designed to operate over a wide range of frequencies utilizing a broadband transducer, the new DFF1-UHD TruEcho CHIRP-enabled network sounder for MaxSea TimeZero delivers significant advancements in signal clarity and target definition.

.CHIRP Technology

The clear presentation of the DFF1-UHD marks individual game fish and bait fish, even when tightly schooled together or very near the sea floor.

.Benefits of CHIRP Technology

  • Scans across a range of frequencies
  • Enhanced depth penetration, resolution & clarity
  • Precise separation between bait fish and game fish
  • Enhanced ability to distinguish targets from noise using improved signal-to-noise ratio
  • Improved bottom tracking at high speeds
  • Vastly improved shallow water performance
  • Reveals more fish by eliminating surface clutter & noise

 MX Tech news dff1 pic 1

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A full PC-Sounder solution

Paired with a Furuno Ethernet Sounder, TimeZero is a full PC Sounder solution:

  • Bottom Discrimination
  • Bottom hardness
  • ACCU-FISH

 MX Tech news dff1 pic 2

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