TECHNICAL ONBOARD CAMERAS
Cheap, reliable camera technology is everywhere, from mobile phones to car parking aids, and now, inevitably, on boats. The capabilities of the camera have developed fast, from a few rows of grainy footage to high-resolution and infrared night vision technology. And now boats are benefiting from this leap forward, coupled with the ever-increasing bandwidth of marine network protocols like NMEA. The use cases on board fall under three broad headings. Most obviously, perhaps, there is the security element – remote monitoring of the boat using a video camera feed. Then there is docking assistance technology, which is mostly focused in the motorboat sector, but can provide a welcome boost on sailing boats too. And right at the cutting edge, there is collision avoidance and search-and-rescue, such as the award-winning OSCAR. While this technology might be the domain of high-budget solo racing boats at the moment, it is the ‘extra pair of eyes’ element that will appeal to cruising sailors, who often also sail shorthanded, if not solo.
SECURITY FIRST
When remote boat monitoring first emerged, the idea was to get a narrow band of critical safety data ashore. That meant the capability of transmitting a few kilobytes of information relating to the bilge pump, water levels, GPS position and battery voltage.
The technology has matured, and new applications are constantly being developed. Some remote monitor units are two-way, and can switch on the boat’s instruments for a short burst to measure wind speed and depth, or to turn the fridge
