16.12.2010
PUMA Ocean Racing Powered by BERG Propulsion chooses IXSEA
PUMA Ocean Racing to use Ixsea’s HYDRINS Inertial Navigation System as the
core of their navigation suite
December 16, 2010 -
PUMA Ocean Racing will be competing in the Volvo Ocean
Race 2011-2012, one of yachting’s most difficult and prestigious events.
Over a nine month span starting in October 2011, PUMA Ocean Racing will
cover almost 40,000 nautical miles and make stops in Spain, South Africa,
UAE, China, New Zealand, Brazil, USA, Portugal, France and finish in
Ireland around July 2012. PUMA will be racing aboard their Volvo Open 70
yacht, a high-performance sailboat capable of reaching speeds in excess of
40 knots. The race course will test the yacht and crew with extreme
temperatures, winds, and seas.
In order to maximize their performance, PUMA Ocean Racing is using Ixsea’s
HYDRINS Inertial Navigation System (INS) as the core of their navigation
suite. Based on Fiber-Optic Gyroscope technology, HYDRINS is a compact,
high-performance INS that has been optimized for use in any type of
surface vessel. Designed to cope effectively with GPS drop-outs and
multipath effects, it delivers highly accurate position, attitude and
velocity data in real time to the navigator and skipper.
PUMA Ocean Racing will utilize the HYDRINS during exhaustive testing of
different sail and boat setup configurations to provide precise
performance information for PUMA’s VO 70 which will be delivered in Spring
2011. During the Volvo Ocean Race, the HYDRINS will provide precise
heading information in some the world’s harshest and remote locations.
Ken Read, skipper and CEO of PUMA Ocean Racing, said “We are excited to be
working with Ixsea and to use the HYDRINS to get the most out of our
boats.” Tom Addis, PUMA’s Navigator, said “…other instruments we have
used in the past gave results that varied from tack to tack and at
different heel angles…. so it’s been very helpful having an instrument
that we can implicitly trust.” Phill Wilson, Managing Director of Ixsea
USA, noted “Ixsea is thrilled to be partnered with a premier racing
program like PUMA Ocean Racing and we look forward to helping them win the
Volvo Ocean Race!”
Rick Morton, North American Sales Manager
|
