Release of Version 2.1.2 of MaxSea TimeZero Professional Range

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Updates from March 20, 2017

Being at the top of marine navigation means offering efficiency and comfort that never stop evolving. To match the ever growing needs of professionals at sea our development team continues to set higher standards. This update will make TZ Professional even more powerful.

Today, we are happy to announce to you that TZ Professional v3.1 is now available!

News from March 30, 2015

We are pleased to inform you that a new update of MaxSea TimeZero professional software has just been released and is now available to your customers: v2.1.2.

Many new features and improvements are included in version 2.1.2 of the MaxSea professional software range. Best of all, this update is completely free for any TimeZero ECS/PLOT user.

 Please read the complete description of improvements:

 New Features in MaxSea TimeZero v2.1.2:

  • Possibility to import Marks, Tracks, Lines and 3D user data from ECC Globe.
  • Compatibility with the NMEA0183 “RSD” sentence allowing to display a radar cursor on the chart. This is useful to geo-reference the cursor of the standalone radar in TimeZero.
  • Possibility to import PTZ2 files directly into TimeZero v2.1. PTZ2 files are 3D files that were used in previous version of TimeZero (v2.0) and below.
  • Possibility to change the plotter background color when no chart is selected from the “Chart” button in the Ribbon. The background color can be selected from the “Plotter Display” Options.
  • New option to remove currents computation on the active route (ETA, Speed, HTS etc.). This can be useful when you don’t want any currents to be taken into account in any of the Route NavData and list information.
  • New Online AIS MarineTraffic integration providing more reliable and faster refresh time. Please note that a MarineTraffic account is required in order to activate this feature in TimeZero:

A range of other miscellaneous features have been added and various bug fixes are included in MaxSea TimeZero version 2.1.2. A detailed description of all improvements is available in our explanatory PDF.

Price: The update to version 2.1.2 is totally free for all current MaxSea TimeZero users.

Download: You can contact your regular MaxSea reseller to download this update. Alternatively, you may log into your MyMaxSea account and use the download link in the ‘Downloads’ tab.

v2.1.2 description

NOAA Raster and Vector Chart Updates for the USA are Available Now!

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These US charts have been updated and are available as of March 17th, 2015 in our Chart Catalogue:

MaxSea NOAA Chart Update List

The following NOAA chart versions are now available:

  • VECTOR – MWVSUSAMAP9.1 NOAA Vector Charts & USACE Inland Charts
US_NOAA_charts_coverage

Updated Information

  • Updated NOAA Vector Charts (S57): This Edition adds 70 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.

Clickforexamples

NOAA charts are totally free of charge and you can download them through our Chart Catalog, to make sure that you’re using the most up-to-date chart data available for US waters.

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6 Tips for Fighting Motion Sickness Onboard

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This month, world champion sailor Alex Alley gives us his tips for how to fight motion sickness onboard:

“One of the things I get asked about a lot when I am taking people out sailing for the first time, is sea sickness. Possibly the most debilitating thing that can happen to otherwise healthy people at sea.

 It is real and it can sap energy out of the most upbeat person – however, the advice I would give is – don’t worry yourself about it, it can happen to the best sailors.”

My 6 top tips for fighting motion sickness:

  • There are many types of medication on the market, a popular one is Stugeron. There are pills, wrist bands and patches. Each have their fans, however some also have their drawbacks in that they can sometimes make you sleepy.
  • You can help yourself by not going out for a big meal with lots of alcohol the night before you sail.
  • There are also things you can do onboard if you start to feel a bit queasy. Firstly, keep warm, most important. Once you get cold, your body starts to shut down and you then can’t help yourself.
  • DON’T go down below if you can help it. Once you lose sight of the horizon, it tends to make people feel ill. I’m told it is the mix of signals to the brain. Your eyes tell you nothing is moving (you’re inside the boat so have no reference), but your ears are telling you that you are moving (the fluid in your ears gives you balance). This conflict of information confuses the brain and makes you feel unwell.
  • Try and eat something plain, such as a ginger biscuit (ginger is supposed to help) or a piece of bread.
  • Finally, the best piece of advice I can give is to occupy your mind. Maybe take the opportunity to take the helm if you feel confident and someone can guide you. This focuses your mind and stops you thinking about being ill.
Seasickness_monthly_newsletter

It is not simply the movement of the boat that makes you sick. Many people say they get motion sick in a car as a passenger, but not as a driver. Tthe motion is exactly the same – so some other process must surely be at work! Perhaps it is driven by anxiety, or the feeling of not being in control?

I’m not a psychologist so I can’t say with any authority what the cause may be. I do however spend a lot of time sailing and I’d like to finish this article by referring back to my first piece of advice – don’t worry about it, anxiety will only increase the chances of you feeling ill, in effect you will make yourself feel sick!

Embrace the experience of sailing, learn about it and try and understand it, that way you will know what to expect, you will feel less anxious about it, you will have fun and trust me, you won’t be sick…

We would like to thank Alex Alley, MaxSea sponsor for sharing this advice with us. Alex is a round the world yachtsman, inspirational speaker and world champion. Learn more about Alex.

If you have any tips of your own for combatting seasickness, simply leave a comment!

 

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Raster Chart Updates for the Transat, Central America and Caribbean

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The following 4 Raster chart zones covering the Transat, Central America and the Caribbean have been updated and are available to download in our Chart Catalogue as of January 29th, 2015:

Raster Chart Promo MaxSea February

Save on These Charts!

We are offering great discounted pricing on each of these newly-updated charts! Check out the promotional prices here!

Improvements

These chart updates include updated information (changes in ports, harbors, buoys etc.) as well as corrections to chart data. It is recommended to update your chart zones regularly in order to have the most up-to-date information for navigation. This is very important for safety on board.

Here are a few examples of the enhancements in these chart zones:

R50 lanzarote

R912 panama

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

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Team Jolokia’s Reactions to the Rolex Middle Sea Race

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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.

Rolex_Middle_Sea_Race_Route

Here are the reactions of a few members of Team Jolokia after the Rolex Middle Sea Race:

  • Stéphanie Chancelade, crew member

“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!”

team_jolokia_maxsea2Some of the Team JOLOKIA crew wearing MaxSea caps and t-shirts on board

  • Peter Meisel, skipper

“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!

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MaxSea – FURUNO Seminar in Sweden

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On November 25th and 26th, FURUNO Sverige and MaxSea hosted a seminar at the FURUNO Sverige office. MaxSea Regional Sales Manager Ferhat Dahak tells us about the event.

13 dealers from all over the country (17 people in total) attended this seminar. On November 25th, I presented  information on all the latest developments throughout our product line, focusing on:

MaxSea Furuno Sweden Seminar

On November 28th, a MaxSea training day was carried out with Swedish fishermen. 10 fishermen from the Gothenburg area, mainly trawlers, attended the training.

We concentrated on the following topics:

  • Layer Management
  • AIS/ARPA management
  • PBG and WASSP Modules

Furuno sweden1The presentation took place in a room with 5 computers, all running MaxSea TimeZero PLOT which allowed the fishermen to train at the same time.

Thanks Ferhat!

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Raster Chart Updates for West Europe and the Mediterranean

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The following 6 Raster chart zones covering the west of Europe and the Mediterranean have been updated and are available to download in our Chart Catalogue as of December 5th 2014:

raster charts

Improvements

These chart updates include updated information (changes in ports, harbors, buoys etc.) as well as corrections to chart data. It is recommended to update your chart zones regularly in order to have the most up-to-date information for navigation. This is very important for safety on board.

Here are a few examples of the enhancements in these chart zones:

R30 Concarneau

R32 Barcelona

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

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4 Tips for Choosing Marine Binoculars

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Visibility while boating is obviously very important, but can be difficult due to reflections on the water surface. A good pair of marine binoculars is very useful onboard but what should you look for when purchasing? Here is a quick guide to choosing the right marine binoculars.

The magic numbers: 7×50

Binoculars are classed according to magnification power and the diameter of the front lenses. Higher magnification is not always better, as high-powered binoculars are harder to hold steady on target because they show a smaller section of the landscape. A 7×50 binocular is optimum for marine use.

binoculars

Image-Stabilised Binoculars

The second most important thing to look for when it comes to marine binoculars is image stabilisation. The mechanics of these marine binoculars keep your image steady and help you avoid getting seasick.

It should however be noted that a set of marine binoculars with an extra-wide enough field of view won’t necessarily need image stabilisation.

Light Transmission and Coatings

Light is lost as it passes through binocular optics – sometimes as much as 50% in less expensive models. High-quality binoculars on the other hand will transmit between 80 and 90% of light.

Lenses are sometimes coated, typically with magnesium flouride, in order to increase relection and pass more light to the user’s eye. Avoid “full-coated” products and try to opt instead for “multi-coated” or even better, “fully multicoated”, sometimes abbreviated as FMC.

Field of View

This is the area you’ll see through the binoculars, expressed either in degrees or in the width of the area seen at a one kilometre range. A field of view of seven degrees (or about 115 metres) is usually considered optimum for general marine use.

Extra features

Some marine binoculars feature “extras” such as a

  • built-in rangefinder
  • compass
  • reticle

These features can help you find magnetic north, and properly judge an object’s size and distance when the open sea can make it difficult to understand in relation to yourself. It does require practice to learn how to use these features correctly. However, once you do, you’ll need less gadgets on the boat with you.

Get more tips on how to choose the best marine binoculars for you.

Annual Awards Ceremony at the Perth Game Fishing Club

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The Perth Game Fishing Club, based in Fremantle, Western Australia had its annual awards ceremony on October 18th. MaxSea is a proud sponsor of the club and our Regional Sales Manager Thibault Hua attended the event. 

The awards were held at the recently-refurbished Fremantle Sailing Club function room, overlooking the marina and Indian Ocean with truly stunningly beautiful views.

Fremantle sailing club
Fremantle Sailing Club

Thibault was hosted by President Ben Weston, Vice President Tim Carson and Rhyss Whittred – life member, whose boat has a full suite of electronics that include MaxSea and Furuno, and was one of the big winners in the awards.

Members of the Club got to spend time with Thibault and trade tips on sport fishing.

Award Winners

Rhyss’s vessel “Ashram” has already been featured on our blog after qualifying for the 2015 world championships in Costa Rica. He didn’t let his team of anglers down with some impressive awards:

  • Champion Boat – Ashram
  • Champion Male Angler – Rhyss Whittred
  • Champion Female – Sangeeta Menon
  • Champion Junior – Drew Ziepe
  • Most species tagged and released – Sangeeta Menon
  • Most fish tagged and released – Rhyss Whittred
2014_PGFC_Presentation_s-100
Thibault Hua, MaxSea RSM, with winners at the awards ceremony
Rhyss Whittred, Sales Manager WA, SA & NT at Taylor Marine
Rhyss Whittred, Sales Manager WA, SA & NT at Taylor Marine

PGFC enjoys a continued relationship with MaxSea, and has witnessed the increase of club members using MaxSea TimeZero PLOT software. The majority of the awards on the night went to boats running MaxSea software.

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Boat Equipment: Is Cheaper Always Better?

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When buying boat equipment, sometimes it’s hard to know when you should splash out and when there’s no need to pay more for quality. This week, we ask some of the MaxSea partners for their advice on when to spend big and when you can be frugal.

Splurge or save

Team Jolokia

In our experience, there are certain items that must be of high quality. Don’t try to use cheaper items as you will most likely need to re-buy them again! Here are some examples of these types of products:

  • Torch
  • Blunder
  • Bucket
  • Pumps

Isabelle Joschke

There is some boat equipment that costs less but is not any lower in terms of quality. In this case, we should take advantage of the cheaper product! But sometimes I prefer to choose quality even though it is more expensive. In this way, I will not need to repurchase new equipment every year. This is certainly the case for tools, which can deteriorate rapidly.

Sail boat

IMERPOL

In general we always try to buy the best item we can afford. Otherwise we wait until we can afford it. Here are some tips to follow:

  • It is not necessary to have absolutely every tool related to your boat, just the items that match your real needs.
  • Equipment wears away on a boat than at home due to movements, saline air, sunlight etc.
  • Yachting stuff is sometimes calculated for an occasional use and don’t last long.
  • It is sometimes better (and cheaper) to buy home equipment than products from a ship chandlers’.
  • It is not necessary nowadays to dress in old clothes and full of paint stains and I prefer comfortable and smart ones, especially shoes and oilskins which are part of security.

Do you have any examples you’d like to share? If so, leave us a comment below!

Learn more about the activities of each of these MaxSea partners:

Team Jolokia

Isabelle Joschke

IMERPOL

 

 

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