Digitally enhanced

Sailing is a gadget-heavy sport these days, with marine electronics opening up all sorts of exciting and useful possibilities aboard. Data is the name of the game – and how you can use it. Modern instruments from Garmin, Raymarine, B&G and others can handle 50 times faster data rates than in the past, and share it around the network.

So upgrading one or more of your instruments is about the most common refit for onboard electronics. We look at the options for that below – it doesn’t have to be ruinously expensive, and much of the work can be done yourself. The other two common upgrade scenarios are adding an internet connection to the boat and retrofitting a remote monitoring system. Read on for a run-down of the available products and what’s involved.

There has been little to report this year in the multifunction display world. The biggest news came from Navico, which has released a new model called the NSX in its motorboat-focused Simrad brand. They want back to first principles to build this snazzy-looking unit, which runs an enhanced version of C-Map charts that are crisper than ever. Auto-guidance route planning has been supercharged, and it supports more third-party apps as well. “Watch this space,” said a Navico spokeswoman when asked whether B&G would be moving its MFDs to the new platform.

Upgrade your instruments

 Instruments have evolved since many boats were