SailSteer and SailTime win innovation award

by Sail-World Cruising on 19 Jan 2014 Every year since 1996, the Pittman Innovation awards, sponsored by SAIL magazine, recognize outstanding new products created by a sailing industry that remains forever fresh in its thinking. It's quite often difficult for judges to choose between outstanding innovation during the year, and 2013 was one of the hardest.

In a field packed with more innovative products than they’ve seen for a while, SAIL’s judging panel had to think long and hard before awarding the overall prize to B&G’s Sailsteer and Sailtime software.

In the end, though, it was unanimous. 'The sailing features are much more relevant,' said judge Tom Burden, comparing the new software to the power-oriented products found in other MFDs.

Others agree, with comments such as, 'It would make me think a little harder about how well I was sailing my boat,' and, 'This was my favorite product. I think it would definitely enhance the sailing skills of many of our readers.'

About SailSteer and SailTime:
B&G's Zeus Touch chartplotters and radars have achieved a new level of sailor friendliness with the addition of the company’s SailSteer and SailTime software. The former is a unique screen graphic that usefully combines more data elements than have ever before been seen on even a modern color instrument display.

These include heading and COG (course over ground), set and drift, current and opposite-tack laylines, and recent wind-shift history. The latter is a set of algorithms that compute values like DTW (distance to waypoint) and ETA based on real-time layline data rather than the straight courses a powerboat might drive.

B&G has also significantly increased data available to third-party racing and cruising apps via its GoFree WiFi accessory (as have siblings Simrad and Lowrance).

In 2014 the Zeus sailing features will migrate to a new H5000 autopilot system, which includes a 5-inch graphic display that shows SailSteer and can be integrated with the new 7-, 9- and 12-inch Zeus 2 multi-touch chartplotters.

Overall Winner Judges:
Nigel Calder (systems expert and author), Tom Burden (author of the West Marine 'advisor' series of articles), Peter Nielsen (Editor, SAIL magazine)

Startng price is around $1,600. For more information or to find out where is your closest outlet, go to: bandg.com