A Q&A with Navico boss Leif Ottosson about B&G’s latest electronics

by By David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor on 14 Dec 2016 The confluence of modern communications, onboard sensor networks that can gather real-time vessel data, and cloud-computing services is allowing marine-electronics companies to offer telematics, alerts and other data-monitoring services. This product ecosystem is known as the “connected boat model”, and it offers modern boaters many interesting advantages, including vessel monitoring and tracking, maintenance alerts, and some level of remote switching.

The types and levels of services involving vessel data will likely grow exponentially in years to come and could potentially involve sophisticated post-sailing analytics that would allow a Corinthian-level team to quantify and qualify their racing performances and use this information to increase their skills and their performance level. In short, it’s obvious that we are just seeing the beginning of connected sailing.

I recently attended the METS tradeshow in Amsterdam, where I was fortunate to sit down and talk technology with Leif Ottosson, the president and CEO of Navico, which is the parent company of the B&G, GoFree, Lowrance and Simrad brands of marine electronics. Not only is Navico deeply involved with telematics with their GoFree Vessel system, they are also thinking about innovative ways to bring the benefits of telematics to boaters of all stripes.

And, given B&G’s long history with performance sailing, I also couldn’t resist asking a few questions about B&G’s highest profile sponsorship project, the 2017/2018 Volvo Ocean Race.

In your opinion, what have been the biggest advances in marine electronics in the last couple years for sailors?
Well you’re seeing much more functionality built into the [chart]plotters today, [which offer] aids for the sailor. The products that we’re offering sailors makes [their on-the-water] decision-making a little bit easier.

So how do you see the connected-boat model helping sailors or do you see this technology as something that’s more orientated towards power boaters?
I see this as a way to get a lot more information. Sailors are normally passionate about finding better ways to sail, and this [connectivity to the cloud] is allowing them to get information back from the data [that gets sent] off the boat, and allowing them to analyze how they did, in peace and quiet when they get [back] home.

So that is one direct, very tangible benefit for sailors of connected vessels. There are other benefits but that is one very concrete benefit for a sailor that they will [derive] a lot of use from.

In your opinion, have coastal communications improved to the point of really facilitating the connected-boat model or is there still some technological development to go there?
Well, most recreational boaters don’t go more than five miles ashore. So [they are] normally are [still] in cellphone [range and can connect]. But we have devices now with good communication plans built-in that are very affordable. Plans that people can sign [up] for [for] three months during the course of the year that they are [actively] boating. Then, nine months of the year [they are] not being paying for a service that they are not using.

There are a lot of things happening [with] the data plans, there are a lot more communication devices that allow you to [connect to a Wi-Fi network] either once you get into the marina or [even] while you’re also out [boating] because most people don’t go that far ashore.

Now is this a B&G product or the new GoFree Vessel monitoring and telematics system that we’re talking about?
Well, it’s a combination of both. GoFree is the brand that we [at Navico] use for providing that data gathering and data capturing [service], and the infrastructure around connectivity and data management. But, also the devices, the plotters are Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled, allowing them to be in contact through tethering through [a smart]phone or tethering through [a] Wi-Fi device, [or] a combination of both. GoFree is about data management and actual connectivity and what we can do with that data.

While the [chart]plotters are where we [display this data], and we can even get real-time updates on some of the information. That will just advance in the years that will come. People like to be connected, even when they’re out on a boat, and we need to provide for that. [While] I know that some people [feel their boat is their] only place where [they’re] away from the general buzz and they don’t want to be connected, there is a significant [percentage] of the boating population that wants to be connected.

From a safety perspective, people like the comfort of being connected; it gives them a line to shore. [They know] that if something happens, they [can] contact someone onshore, and I think that will provide [real value].

Tell me about B&G’s relationship with the 2017/2018 Volvo Ocean Race-will B&G provide the teams with your brand-new Zeus3 MFD?
Yes, that’s correct we are going to be supplying the equipment for the boats and also the radars and other equipment. We now are in development projects together with the Volvo Ocean Group…in order to see where we can push the limits [of] the technology onboard the boats. That’s why [the Volvo Ocean Race is] very interesting for us to be involved in, [and why] we have been involved for a number of years now.

We see this relationship continuously developing, and we are extremely interested in participating in these [extreme sailing events], and we think [it’s] exactly the right profiling for B&G, which is a sailing brand. We want to learn from the Volvo Ocean Race [so that] we can then push [this technology] down to the more everyday sailor.

Is there anything else that you’d like to add, for the record?
I believe that we will see quite a bit of innovation coming in the B&G brand when it comes to services being offered. Making that experience richer for the sailor, making it easier, making it [less] challenging [for] the sailor to become even better, and [helping them] to improve [their skills]. We are very excited about the [new-product] road map that we have [developed at] B&G.