The Cruise Control for Your Rig - Cruising In The Green Zone
by Cyclops Marine 27 Mar 2025 05:00 PDT
The Cruise Control for Your Rig - Cruising In The Green Zone © Cyclops Marine
Sailing isn't effortless. That's not why we do it. It's about feeling connected to your yacht and to the elements - adjusting trim, reading the conditions, and making the right calls. On good days, you do it with confidence.
But even the most experienced sailors have moments of doubt. Could I push harder and go a little faster? Are the sails too powered up? Should I reef now or wait? Is my rig under more strain than I realise?
Second-guessing leads to hesitation - the enemy of smooth, assured sailing.
Sailing in the Green Zone
Every yacht has its sweet spot - its green zone - where it feels smooth, balanced and safe. Some days you'll find it quickly, simply by feel, other days it'll be more tricky. Smart sailors are using load monitoring to slip into the green zone quickly and easily every time.
With the simple installation of wireless load sensors, you can access an overall picture of the load running through your rig - streamed straight to an intuitive dial via your onboard displays, and a mobile app.
- Green Zone - You're sailing safely within loading limits.
- Amber Zone - You should be aware and ready to take action, should loads increase much further.
- Red Zone - It's time to take action to depower the rig.
The major function of the system is safety - empowering you to sail with certainty, hitting your yacht manufacturers recommendations with confidence.
The Freedom to Push Your Limits
But it also comes with other benefits - giving you the freedom to let loose and enjoy your yacht to the full!
Modern yachts - especially performance cruisers and multihulls - are designed to go fast while remaining comfortable. The more aware you are of your rig loads, the more confidently you can sail hard while protecting your equipment and those onboard.
If you want to cruise fast and enjoy the ride, just stay high in the green zone, pushing towards amber but dialling back when you start to go too far over it.
With load sensors providing real-time visual queues, you can:
- Set up with precision - Return to your yacht's original, optimal settings at the dock.
- Trim with finesse - Control performance and comfort with ease, by adjusting to the conditions live on screen.
- Reef proactively - Act early to depower the rig and avoid dangerous rig failure.
- Protect your rig long term - Reduce wear, prevent damage, and save maintenance costs.
Fatigue Monitoring
New sensors now come with built-in fatigue monitoring. When installed on a new rig set up or new yacht, they store data on your rig health & lifespan based on comprehensive load information, collected over time.
Live loads are hugely beneficial, but fatigue is an invisible risk that makes failure more likely. This feature offers peace of mind, letting you know when maintenance is required before fatigue becomes failure. All data is logged, giving owners a complete fatigue history they can share with riggers, insurers, or prospective buyers when they come to sell their yacht.
Arrive safely, cruise smoothly, and enjoy every moment onboard your yacht.
Get in touch with your yacht manufacturer to get Cyclops as an OEM upgrade, or contact a Cyclops expert directly.