With a strong reputation in ocean racing (Volvo, IMOCA, Figaro...) Adrena is launching a software specially adapted for cruising: Octopus. The aim of this company specialising in navigation software is to do better than the products already on the market. How to do better? By bringing new features hitherto ignored.
The basic functions of a navigation program
Octopus offers the basics of a navigation software: it displays the cartography (raster or vector) and positions the boat on it. It allows you to place waypoints and create routes. The interface of the software is very intuitive with aids (in French!). A setup wizard helps you to customize the software. For example, calibrate the ranges of use of the sails to answer questions such as: "At what wind strength and direction do I roll my genoa to go under staysail? A series of short and informative tutorials are also available on Youtube.
These functions that we have just described are found in many navigation software. It is in specific functions that Octopus stands out.
Precise Polars
To calculate its routing (the best route), the software uses the boat's speed polars. However, while racers work on their polar, there are no very precise ones for cruising yachts. Octopus is able to record the boat's data as it sails, the weather conditions encountered, and to create and refine the polar coordinates automatically.
Routing for the cruise
In a race, you know the start date and you want to get to the other side as quickly as possible. On a cruise, the departure can be flexible and the arrival time more important than the departure time. For example, you need to be on time for a lock, or you don't want to make an overnight arrival. Octopus gives you the choice. If you ask him to arrive on Sunday morning, he will tell you what time to leave.
Comfort routing
When cruising, we'll try to sail comfortably rather than quickly (even if it's always possible to arrive as quickly as possible). What is the importance of arriving a few hours later if you are sailing in good conditions? The software will propose you several routings with indices of comfort. For example, it can avoid areas where the sea will be rough. Or, avoid sailing too close but prefer unbridled conditions. Once these routings are presented, you are free to choose the one that best suits your navigation. The routing is also presented with colours according to day and night (yellow and black). You then visualize the conditions you will encounter day and night.
Taking into account the engine
When cruising, you can choose to start the engine when the wind drops too much. Octopus takes this parameter into account with a minimum speed setting of the sailboat before switching on the engine. Based on the consumption of your engine, the software will also announce the necessary fuel and will send you a fuel level alert if you don't have enough fuel.
Anchoring aid
But cruising isn't all sailing. Octopus has a graphic module dedicated to anchorage in which the weather conditions that will occur during the anchorage time appear. A water depth indicator is also displayed, a precious help to know how many meters of chain to anchor in tidal waters.
Available for testing
Octopus is available since March 2018. It runs on PC under Windows. Free software allows to relay the PC (which remains protected at the chart table) on a tablet and enjoy Octopus in its cockpit.
An Evaluation version (complete, but valid for 1 month) or a Demo version (unlimited in time, but not connected to the control unit and not allowing the possibility to download weather files) are available to test the software.
Octopus is offered at 1259 euros without the charts and at 1499 euros with a pack of vector charts covering half of Europe.
