Entretien avec Philippe Roussel, Beta testeur TIMEZERO

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.

Philippe Roussel intérieur bateau

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 !

Gender inequality in the world of sailing and racing: The reality of women in sport from my perspective

This article was originally written by Isabelle Joschke who is a French-German skipper (Generali-Horizon Mixité.). She has raced 7 times in Solitaire du Figaro and is sponsored by MaxSea. 
Joschke Isabelle

For me it seems that women representing the sport of sailing has become one of the images of our modern society. Women and of course girls are signing up and taking part in leisure sailing in the same numbers as men. However, when the level of competition rises, the gender ratio staggers towards men. In competitive racing as a whole, we, the women, represent only 5-10% of competitors.

Continue reading

Top 5 Boating Blogs to Follow Right Now!

There are many boating blogs out there – some are general whereas others specialise in just one element of boating, from commercial fishing to safety rules and regulations. We’ve scanned the internet to pick out five great blogs that all boaters should follow! Here’s the countdown, from 5 to 1:

5. Capt’n Pauley’s Virtual Boatyard: This is very good DIY boating blog, with information on everything from rigging to boat restoration to engine maintenance. If you’re looking for some tips and advice and like to work on your boat, this is the blog for you!

4. Bitter End: Capt. Richard J. Rodriguez keeps you up to date on news related to the world of boating. A good mix of topics!

3. G-Captain: Captain John Konrad does a great job of writing entertaining and informative articles. This blog mainly focuses on commercial fishing, but even if you’re a recreational boater, you’ll find high-quality information and advice.

sailing anarchy

2. Sailing Anarchy: Scot Tempesta edits this sailing blog, and he’s a guy with attitude! This blog stands out because it takes a no-nonsense, down-to-earth approach to sailing and yachting. It’s updated several times a day and if you love sailing, you’ll find the articles very interesting. Over 80,000 likes on Facebook too – impressive!

Ben Ellison - then and now!
Ben Ellison – then and now!

1. Panbo: Our number one pick has got to be the ubiquitous Panbo blog. MaxSea loves it because it covers virtually everything in the world of marine electronics. Writer and editor Ben Ellison has become well-known by most people who own a boat.

Why do we like this blog so much? Because it is updated so often and you can find thorough, informed reviews of just about every major marine electronics product here. Definitely one to follow!

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Download the free MaxSea guide: Cold Weather Sailing

Boat Racing for Dummies!

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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A Doctor’s Advice on What to Eat Onboard

The ‘Sailing Doctor’ returns to our blog! This week Dr. Jean-Yves Chauve gives us advice on what type of food to eat while sailing.

Jean yves chauvre

You may have already heard of Dr. Chauve as he is well-known for specializing in providing remote medical assistance to sailors and boat racers. He has been involved in several high-profile cases in which he aided racers via telephone to avoid dangerous health situations.

When at sea, we use a lot of energy. The constant motion of the boat, the wind and maneuvering a sailboat may require nearly 5,000 calories in 24 hours.

To compensate for these losses it is very important to eat enough . This is not always easy especially when you are feeling seasick, or when weather conditions make it impossible to cook.

However, freeze-dried meals such as those eaten by offshore racers will make it easier to eat hot food. Just boil water in a kettle, pour the hot water into the bag and wait a few minutes for the food to re-hydrate.

Food for Short Trips

Sandwiches provide a good amount of energy and are well-balanced.

Food for Longer Trips

When each sailor takes it in turn to navigate, it is best to eat at the end of your shift before going to bed.

Calories used for digestion are also included in the amount of energy needed each day and eating at the end of the day will make food energy available to the muscles when you wake.

food onboard

What to Avoid

Avoid eating simple sugars such candy bars, as much as possible. Contrary to advertising, they rather promote sleep and can actually make you feel drowsy.

Last but not Least…

Finally, remember that you should drink water regularly throughout the day. With the wind and sun, dehydration can creep up on you unexpectedly and affect the physical and mental abilities.

Read more of Dr. Chauve’s sailing advice in these two previous blog posts:

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MaxSea Training Sessions in Barcelona

Team Jolokia on TV: Sailors like no Others!

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

A Doctor’s Advice on Sleep Onboard

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.

Jean yves chauvre

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.

eat sleep boat

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.

The Ultimate Guide to Boat Rentals

“Stuck in the Doldrums” – the Intertropical Convergence Zone

Being stuck in the doldrums is now used in everyday speech to mean being in a state of inactivity, mild depression, listlessness or stagnation. However, ‘the Doldrums’ is originally a name given to the Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ.

The Intertropical Convergence Zone, is the region that circles the Earth, near the equator, where the trade winds of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres come together. The  water in the equator is warmed by the intense sun which in turn heats the air in the ITCZ, raising its humidity and making it buoyant.

ICTZ

Aided by the convergence of the trade winds, the buoyant air rises. As the air rises it expands and cools, releasing the accumulated moisture in an almost perpetual series of thunderstorms.

The Dreaded Belt of Calm

Early sailors named this belt of calm “the Doldrums” because of the inactivity and stagnation they found themselves in after days of no wind. In an era when wind was the only effective way to propel ships across the ocean, finding yourself in the Doldrums could mean death.

Today, we often hear about the ITCZ or Doldrums in relation to sailing and races such as the Transat Jacques Vabre. Sailing through this belt greatly impacts the racers – as it is more difficult to move quickly through the water, and frequent thunderstorms make the conditions even more difficult.

The 2013 route for the Transat Jacques Vabre passes through the ITCZ. This area is known as the “pot au noir” in French

Location of the ITCZ

The Doldrums are generally located between 5 degrees latitude north and south, but they can extend as far as 18, depending on the season.

The location of the intertropical convergence zone varies over time. Over land, it moves back and forth across the equator following the sun’s zenith point. Over the oceans, where the convergence zone is better defined, the seasonal cycle is more subtle, as the convection is constrained by the distribution of ocean temperatures.

Sometimes, a double ITCZ forms, with one located north and another south of the equator. When this occurs, a narrow ridge of high pressure forms between the two convergence zones, one of which is usually stronger than the other.

When was it identified?

The ITCZ was originally identified from the 1920s to the 1940s as the “Intertropical Front” (ITF), but after the recognition in the 1940s and 1950s of the significance of wind field convergence in tropical weather production, the term “ITCZ” was then applied.

La Solitaire du Figaro 2011 : Jérémie Beyou wins in Dieppe and is crowned king of the Solitaire du Figaro 2011

Today, Wednesday at 12:49:01 Jérémie Beyou crossed the line first to win the fourth and final leg from Les Sables d’Olonne to Dieppe. By finishing in Dieppe ahead of the rest of the fleet, and scoring his third consecutive victory, BPI’s skipper Jérémie Beyou was crowned overall winner of the 2011 Solitaire du Figaro, an edition he dominated from the outset. This win means he joins the exclusive club of double winners of the event.

The BPI skipper covered the 437 miles in 72 hours, 37 minutes and 1 second. It was one of the closest finishes ever for the race, with four boats flying past the line in a little more than 30 seconds. Second place went to Paul Meilhat (Macif 2011) just 12 seconds later, third to Fabien Delahaye (Port de Caen Ouistreham) 28 seconds after the winner and fourth to Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat) at within 35 seconds. Continue reading

La Solitaire du Figaro 2011 : Jérémie Beyou winner and overall leader in Dún Laoghaire

The 2005 Solitaire du Figaro champion crossed the finish line Dún Laoghaire not only to win the second leg but take the overall lead in the four-stage sailing race. Nicolas Lunven, the 2009 champion was second with Adrien Hardy, who won the stage to Ireland in 2010, third. Morgan Lagravière, was top rookie in 6th. The first of the four British sailors, Phil Sharp, was 23rd, just over an hour behind the leader.

The pewter grey skies cleared briefly to let some bright sun through to spotlight the first Figaro on the horizon and reveal the breakaway leader of the 46 solo sailors competing on the second of four legs that make up La Solitaire du Figaro race. The second leg, 440 miles from Caen to Dún Laoghaire close to Dublin on the East coast of Ireland, set off last Sunday and took just over 65 hours for the winner to complete. Jérémie Beyou (BPI), blew his spinnaker in the shifty breeze just a couple of miles from the finish, but had been surfing downwind at a blistering average of 14 knots, whilst keeping a close eye on his pursuers as he helmed his boat to victory at 10:15 in the morning. The successful and experienced French solo sailor, averaged 6.7 knots over the 65 hours and 25 minutes and 16 seconds. He was both jubilant and exhausted upon arrival. Continue reading