In half a century, technology has made navigation evolve! Electronics have been brought on board for greater safety and ease of use. GPS locates us to within a few meters, and satellite communications offer breathtaking directness from distant seas. Skippers set sail with the only equipment available in 1968. Here are the devices that must remain on land.
Old-fashioned navigation
- GPS and chartplotters are not for time travel! The navigation will be done with the sextant, by measuring the height lines which allow, when the conditions are favorable, to maintain the esteem.
- Astronomical navigation implies knowing the time very precisely, and therefore carrying a quality watch. On the Golden Globe Race, only models with mechanical movements are allowed.
- To convert the measurement taken with the sextant into a position, it is necessary to perform a series of complex calculations. On board, calculators are banned, and it is with the help of a pad and a pencil that the skippers will have to operate.
- All we need to do is look at a screen to see how fast it is going or how far it has traveled. In 1968, a boat log was used, which was spun by counting the knots in its line, or a fish log, a propeller spun in the wake and connected by a line to a dial that counted the revolutions.
Communication on the air
- Each boat is equipped with a GPS beacon that allows the skipper to follow its route from land, but without access to it. For safety, a GPS tracker and a satellite phone are on board, but in a sealed box. In case of use, the skipper will be downgraded.
- The preferred means of communication is a SSB radio which allows competitors to exchange information with each other. All weather routing is banned, as are electronic wind gauges and wind vanes.
According to the wind
- Automatic pilots were not used in 1968. Moreover, they consume too much energy to be used for long distance flights with the energy solutions of the time.
- Skippers use windvane steering systems. These devices consist of a windvane which usually acts on an additional rudder. If the wind shifts, pressure on the windvane changes the course so that the boat maintains the same angle to the wind.
Water from the sky
- There is no watermaker on board the boats of the Golden Globe Race. In addition to the onboard reserves, the skippers will have to rely on rainwater recovery to maintain their reserves.
Digital devices
- Of course, the digital devices that are part of our modern lives are not part of the trip, such as computers, smartphones and other electronic board books.
- No CD player or music playlist. No digital recording device either, whether photo, video or audio. Magnetic tapes and film are out! A rule that was nevertheless relaxed since the organizer provided digital cameras to the competitors.
