Tidal Streams for Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

by Penny Haire on 19 Aug 2009 Tidetech releases Whitsunday tidal stream model in time for the 2009 Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

The Whitsundays are world renowned for their strong tidal streams and mastering the local tide has always been top of the list in every owner’s strategy leading into Race Week. Locals who know the waters of the Whitsundays are always hot property as they get snapped up by visiting yachts to provide the much needed 'local knowledge' and 'inside info' of what the tide is doing around the race track.

Technology may soon leave the locals on the docks as long awaited tidal stream information for the area is now available. An ultra high resolution tidal stream model has been created by the very clever people at Tidetech, using numerical modelling techniques developed by scientists at world leading oceanographic institutions. 'The Whitsunday model has been a project in the making for the past 9 months and we are very excited to have it completed in time for Race Week' said Penny Haire of Tidetech.

Haire went on to say 'We have managed to pick one of the most complex places in the world to do a tidal model! It’s really been a very demanding exercise because of all the different factors around the region that influence the flow of the tide. We have had to work very hard to ensure that the effects of the myriad of headlands, bays and small islands and the wider effect of the Great Barrier Reef are properly taken into account.'

This has resulted in a model of nearly half a million data points, giving the strength and direction of the tide on the race course every 30mins at a resolution of 100m.

The process has put the skills and experience of Tidetech’s expert coastal oceanographer Dr Roger Proctor to the test- though as one of the world’s leaders the field of tidal modelling he is well equipped for this. Roger has produced tidal models in support of sailing events such as the Admiral’s Cup and has been tidal consultant to the UK Olympic programme since 1988.

Late last year, former RYA Chief Instructor Penny Haire teamed up Dr Roger Proctor and former Sunsail Director Greg Boller to form Tidetech - a company dedicated to making high tech tidal prediction technology available to sailors around the globe.

Tidetech first appeared on the Australian sailing scene at last years Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race where they very successfully made available latest Ocean Current observation data in a format (GRIB) that can be read on most PC electronic chart plotters. This meant that navigators could instantly see the current strength and direction at any point on a chart.

The real benefit of the GRIB format is to be found in passage planning. Some chart plotters perform optimal routeing functions that work out the fastest route from A to B using a wind GRIB and polars (yacht performance data). This gave useful results, but navigators still have to work out their course to allow for tide using traditional paper methods.

Now, at last, navigators at the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week will be able to use wind and tide GRIBS together to give them the fastest route simply, quickly and with far greater accuracy than ever before.

A custom service is available for the Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Visit http://www.tidetech.org/audi-hamilton-island-race-week-2009

A range of other Tidetech GRIB files are also available for a free trial before a subscription service is launched in the coming weeks. For more information see www.tidetech.org

For more information on this release or about Tidetech contact:For more information on this release or about Tidetech contact:

penny.haire@tidetech.org 0437 633 748 greg.boller@tidetech.org 0403 044 443