Navigation Mac embarks on the Vendée Globe 2020

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Hey yes, everything happens ! In all my computer-nautical career I had never played any computer game whatsoever, not even the historical Windows card game that consumed thousands of hours of idle office time for businesses… but you should never say : Never !

So, therefore,, here I am registered for Virtual Regatta, one among the most 340.000 players registered at this time, ready to start the Vendée Globe tomorrow at 1:02 p.m.. Like any beginner, I watched a few videos to quickly understand this game, Who, on balance, seems relatively easy for a confirmed sailor. But, from there to play in the big league, there are still several oceans to cross ! Read more …

Weather4D embarks on the Vendée Globe 2020 [Break News]

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No, it's not a joke ! Weather4D Embark with SailGrib in the Vendée Globe 2020 with Virtual Regatta. The two friends Henri and Olivier have together developed a routing module directly integrated into the game.

Philippe Guigné, the creator of the online game Virtual Regatta, explains in an interview with Voiles & Voiliers :

"… we want the virtual Vendée Globe to be aimed at the general public and it is therefore logical that we help neophytes by providing new tools. Thus, For this edition, we offer a routing assistance system, Directly integrated into the game, in partnership with SailGrib and Weather4D. These routings will first be simplified so that everyone can use them. In a second phase, We will set up more elaborate routings that will allow us to determine long-term strategies…”

A new evolution for the two leaders in navigation applications, Weather and routing on mobile devices, which should allow them to popularize their applications to a wide audience, and perhaps spark vocations among the large number of players who have never been on the water before.

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Electronic maps and updates… be prudent !

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Over the last few years, I have expressed myself several times on the quality and reliability levels of the electronic charts we use in yachting., more particularly with the navigation applications of our mobile devices (¹).

Since the oldest article in 2013, It appears seven years later that nothing has really changed. On the occasion of a search for a landing in Galicia, I discover that some publishers have still not updated changes that are almost five years old, like the port of A Coruña, which is so busy. I can always be told that the examples I will cite on the West Atlantic coast do not affect safety in any way., But it gives reason to wonder about the rest of the coastline. It should be remembered that SHOM took nearly a year to update on its raster charts the extension of the port of Minimes in La Rochelle, while the German cartographer NV Verlag had long since represented it perfectly on the NV Charts (²). Read more …

ECMWF weather data soon open to public [2rd part]

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Source : The Parliament Mag par Umberto Modigliani, ECMWF Deputy Director of Forecasts, responsible, with the department director, continuous production of forecasts and relations with users.

Early October, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) will take a big step forward by making hundreds of its forecast maps available to everyone free of charge.
The changes are part of a broader European initiative to make public sector data free and open, encourage innovation and support a thriving data-driven digital economy.

Thus far, full access to these forecast maps was restricted to the national meteorological and hydrological services of the Member States and the ECMWF Cooperating States, to members of the World Meteorological Organization and commercial customers. Access was subject to a series of customized licenses and high royalties.

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ECMWF weather data soon open to public [1st part]

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Created in 1975 at the initiative of members of the European Union, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast is an independent intergovernmental organization whose headquarters, until this day, is located in Reading, England. ECMWF is funded by 22 Member States and 12 Associated states. It employs nearly 350 persons, and its supercomputer equipment is one of the largest in Europe. For the past fifteen years or so, ECMWF forecasts tend to be among the most accurate in the world, according to verification data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). ECMWF is currently headed by French meteorologist Florence Rabier, who worked at the local meteorological office of Météo-France.

But, since the advent of Brexit, The situation has changed. The United Kingdom is no longer part of the EU, ECMWF must move to a European country, and this could lead to, For weather data users, consequences rather… Positive ! Read more …

Simultaneous Wi-Fi and cellular connection [Update]

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In coastal navigation, so often within range of a cellular network, you can download GRIB files, weather maps, or simply communicate with friends. But what if your smartphone or tablet is already connected to a multiplexer via Wi-Fi, or an NMEA gateway, without cutting off the data that powers our favorite navigation app ?

This is the tip of the summer…

[Update 25/09/2020] The trick in question depends on the iOS version used. Details in the article.

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Cyberattacks and boating

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Garmin was the victim of a cyber attack that began on 23 last July and lasted several days. The resulting outage disrupted many of its online services.

Navionics customers could no longer access the Navionics server via their login credentials. L’application Navionics Boating, the Navionics chart installer and chart viewer have all been impacted. products could no longer be purchased directly from the Navionics website. Chartplotters could still be used as standalone devices during this Garmin outage, but the maps could no longer be downloaded or updated. Read more …

Weather4D Routage & Navigation supports Imray charts

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With the delivery yesterday of the version 2.0.54, Weather4D add Imray charting (¹) to the Routing & Navigation, recently available in Geogarage. Five layers cover the Atlantic facade (²) , from the North Sea and Shetlands to the Canary Islands and the Azores, and one layer covers the Greater and Lesser Antilles.

But the most important are the three layers covering the western, central and eastern Mediterranean, which now provide detailed coverage from the Ionian Sea to the Aegean Sea. An excellent complement to the international SHOM layer. Read more …