Thanks to instrumentation and with all the information at your fingertips, you must know how to differentiate which data is most relevant at all times. For example, depth will be less significant if you are crossing the English Channel than if you are entering a port at ebb tide.

We recommend setting up a screen with multiple pages so you can quickly and easily access the page containing the relevant information. Instrument displays like the Triton include up to 8 pages of data, giving you the option to customize them to your needs. Additionally, some instruments automatically change pages if you want. A simple user interface will allow quick selection of the most relevant data.

How do screens get the information they show?

The data measured by the system are: Wind Speed ​​and Angle (Apparent), Boat Speed, Course and Depth. (Depth is the exception because, apart from applying an offset, it is not used in any other calculations.)

Wind Speed ​​and Angle are measured at the top of the mast with a wind arm comprised of a vane and cups. The angle indicated by the weather vane is measured with respect to the center line of the boat and is shown as the Apparent Wind Angle. Apparent Wind Speed ​​is measured in knots by calculating how fast the cups rotate.

Boat Speed ​​is normally measured with a log installed through the hull of the boat. The circulation of water against the blades of the slide causes its rotation, the speed of rotation is equivalent to the speed through the water or Boat Speed.

Depth is determined with another sensor (sometimes combined in a single thru-hull transducer with the boat speed sensor) that emits high frequency sound pulses. The sensor “listens” to the echo reflected by the seabed and, similar to a radar, calculates the distance by measuring the time elapsed from the emission to the reception of the pulse.

And that's the end of our advice for this week, but don't miss the next chapter where we'll go a little deeper.