ManualOperator

Weather Routing

Calculate a Weather Routing

Before launching a weather routing you firstly need to do the following:

1.Opening a polar file

2.Open a Weather Forecast File

3.Displaying Tidal Currents Data

4.The route's start-point is your boat’s present position, so nothing needs to be done here. In this case no specific action has to be done except when you wish to plan your route from a precise position or if your GPS fails. You can calculate the Routing from a selected point .

5.Plot the Waypoint to Reach

Then launching the Weather Routing

Select the function [Calculate Routing] from the [Performance] menu to launch the Routing.

By default the Routing parameters are the following:

Study angle : -60 to 60°

The leisure routing stops when :

The last waypoint is reached.

or

The weather file is close enough.

or

The geographic limit of the weather data is reached.

Isochron interval : 2 hours

Efficiency : 100%

Note : these parameters are fixed and can not be modified.

429

MaxSea Operator Manual version 12.6

Calculate Routing From a Selected Point

This function will be used depending on your choice:

1.If the boat's GPS system fails and no position is coming in.

2.To choose the most comfortable and safest route depending on the current weather forecast.

3.If you want to launch a routing from a point other than your own current position for instance, from a competitor’s position. (see also related topic: Selecting an Optimal Routing)

You must firstly plot an isolated waypoint or mark indicating a chosen position on the chart (refer to the paragraph Plotting isolated points in the chapter User data).

You can use the right-click menu on this point to access its information window by choosing Mark Properties. Then modify, where necessary, this point's time and date according to a competitor's position. Click in the date and/or Time corresponding fields and enter the new values.

Note: If you wish plan the route of a competitor, rather plot a mark than a waypoint because you will be able to modify date and/or time of the selected position. Repeat the process as often as you wish to calculate each competitor's routing.

IMPORTANT - The date, time and position of this point should not be out with the geographical and time zones of the open weather file.

Lastly, select the function from the Performance menu for the isochrons to be calculated. Launching a competitor’s routing is not different from launching a routing from your own position, you can refer to the other paragraphs of this chapter to find out how to manage competitor routings (displaying the route list, alternative routings, etc.)

Weather Routing displayed on the Chart

Weather Routing is displayed on the chart along with the isochrons.

From a waypoint

•Isochrons are displayed on the chart as alternate yellow and purple curves. Each numbered isochron is drawn in yellow every 2 hours on the chart and purple every 24 hours.

•All route plans indicated by isochrons are optimal route plans (drawing in black); they show route plans according to the varying criteria ( bearing more to the north, more to the south, etc.) with varying distances from the target waypoint .

•Once the last isochron has been drawn the program calculates the optimum route plan (drawing in red) for reaching the selected waypoint.

430

Weather Routing

The routing is calculated by the program using a set of powerful and sophisticated algorithms. It also takes into account any open tide or ocean current files.

The form of the isochron displayed is particularly important for an overall evaluation of both options and risk. For example, an isochron which is swollen in the north and fleeing in the south means that options in the north are generally favorable; an isochron with a pronounced tip indicates a very favorable route plan, but one which must be followed strictly (thus having a high risk factor); a flat form on the other hand indicates that the chosen route is not particularly favorable.

Note: to calculate the routing, the program uses the active polar. You can choose to use another polar file and recalculate the routing.

From several Waypoints

If you have plotted several waypoints and have launched the Routing module:

MaxSea's multi-waypoint routing allows you to define an optimal route plan from the boat position to the active waypoint then from this waypoint to each subsequent waypoint to the end of the course.

431

MaxSea Operator Manual version 12.6

Note :

(1)- If the last waypoint is outside the geographic zone weather file, the route plan will stop at the end of the weather file.

(2)- isochrons can be displayed or hidden in order to improve the legibility of the chart; click on [isochrons] to check the option and click again to uncheck the option , as appropriate, from the [Performance] menu.

Edit and Modify the Weather Routing

Show & Hide isochrons on the chart

Isochrons may be displayed and removed at your will in order to improve the legibility of the chart:

simply choose [Isochrons] from the [Performance] menu to show isochrons ( "Display isochrons" item is checked) or, as appropriate choose again this option to hide isochrons ( "Display isochrons" item is unchecked).

432

Weather Routing

If the Weather Routing is invisible, the Weather Routing still exists but the layer may be hide to enable the Routing track visible on the chart. If not click the Layer Information button in the chart palette.

Delete a Route plan

To delete the optimal route plan and its corresponded isochrons, you have to simply hide the weather file by clicking on the weather button , at this moment the program saves the track in the active layer file which corresponds to the initial routing and which contains all its parameters (times at certain points in the passage, wind force and direction, etc.).

Refer to the User data chapter for the management of such data (for example, how to remove a track) and access information at any point on the plotted course (by double-clicking at the desired point with the Finger tool ).

Launch a new Route plan

If a routing has been plotted and you then decide to launch a second routing (once you have changed the weather file or opened a different polar, etc.), the program will use the current parameters to calculate the optimum course.

Change color to make difference between Routing Tracks

1.Select a chosen routing track drawn on the chart with the Select Tool

2.When each point along the Weather Routing track appears selected, click on the Plotting Color tool in the Toolbar.

3.The color palette is displayed, click on a color and the track is simultaneously colored with the chosen color. This allows you to make difference between different type of routing.

Convert the route plan to an Active Route

433

MaxSea Operator Manual version 12.6

If you wish to follow the optimum course which is calculated by the program, you can transform this routing into " Active Route ".

1.Double-click between two points in the Weather Routing with the Select Tool.

2.All the points will appear selected.

3.To convert a Weather Routing to Planning Route, choose the [Import Selection To Route...] from the [Route] menu.

4.Double click the new Planning Route with the Route Tool to activate it.

"Active Route" chapter for more information).

Displaying the Routing Center

Select the function [Routing Center] from the menu [Performance] to display it.

The "Routing center" window allows to obtain three types of information:

1.Information on the route.

2.The navigation attributes of a waypoint on the route

3.The accumulated values

For every section of the route, Maxsea gives navigational information, to get from one point, on the route, to another one:

1.Name of the waypoint to be reached,

2.Position in latitude and longitude,

3.Heading to be followed to reach the following or previous point,

4.Distance between two points on the route,

5.Running time, with polar speed, from the beginning of the trip,

6.Speed reference: from the beginning of the trip, with a calculation for wind taken into account (wind at the beginning of the trip).

7.This indicates, depending on the isochron interval selected (6 hours in this case), routing points, hours, vessel speeds, headings, true and apparent wind at these points.

In each point of the route contains:

1.A passage date (column from the table " ETA ")

2.A state of the current at this date: direction and speed. These parameters are represented in the table by columns "Dir. Current" for the direction of the current and by " Current Speed " for the speed of the current.

3.A state of the wind at this date: direction and speed. These parameters are represented in the table by columns " Dir. Wind " for the direction and by "Speed True, Apparent" For the wind speed.

4.Apparent wind and close to a point, these parameters are represented in the table by the columns "AWA" For the apparent angle of the wind, "App. Wind Sp" for the apparent wind speed and " Rel. Wd. Ang. " for the relative angle of the wind.

434

Weather Routing

The Route List shows the coordinates, together with time, yacht’s speed, heading, actual and apparent wind for each isochron at the intervals specified (of 6 hours in this case)

Note: as well as giving important help in predicting changes in wind direction and force, the route list also allows you to pin-point any differences between the forecast weather conditions (from the weather file) and those actually being experienced. The software offers you tools to modify the weather file (refer to the next paragraph, Modifying the weather file ) if necessary to make your navigation more accurate.

The Routing center window shows the coordinates, together with time, yacht’s speed, heading, actual and apparent wind for each isochron at the intervals specified (of 6 hours in this case).

Note: as well as giving important help in predicting changes in wind direction and force, the route list also allows you to pin-point any differences between the forecast weather conditions (from the weather file) and those actually being experienced.

Related topic for selecting the Routing Center table :Setting the display parameters for center tables...

Calculating Weather Routing with Tidal current

If there are Tidal Currents data in your navigation zone area, the software will calculate the Weather Routing with selected Tidal Currents data.

When you have plotted the point on the chart to reach, opened Weather forecast and polar files, you may activate the tidal current layer to calculate the weather routing with the Tidal current data.

Click on the Tides and Tidal Currents button to turn on its menu list and choose under the "Active Current Data" item which Tidal current you want to activate in calculating the Weather Routing.(learn more on the "Tides and Tidal Currents" section.)

Then go to the [Calculate Routing...] from the [Performance] menu.

435

MaxSea Operator Manual version 12.6

Fig.1

As it is shown in the Fig.1 the weather routing is automatically generated according to the direction and speed of tidal current data.

Create and Choose "Routing Area" Layer File

MaxSea allows you to plot specific areas on the chart and save them onto a layer PTF. You can after select this file under the Routing Initialization dialog when activating the [Calculate Routing] function under the [Performance] menu. This will improve the safety of your navigation and when the boat approaches areas limit plotted on the chart the route plan will be avoided.

Create a Layer PTF and Draw Areas on the Chart

1.Create a new layer PTF and activate it before drawing

2.Click on the plotting tool and choose the new layer to activate it

3.Set up the plotting tool by choosing area, color, shape types depending to your choice

4.Draw all area you wish and save the layer when you have finished.

Choose the Routing Area file

1.Select the [Calculate Routing] under the [Performance] menu and the Routing Initialization appears.

2.Check the "Activating area exclusion" box in the bottom of the dialog (uncheked by default)

3.Choose an approach for controlling area exclusion either from inside or outside.

4.Click on Browse to search and select corresponding Routing Area layer PTF

IMPORTANT - a message will warn you when activating the routing calculation will avoid because you navigate in a target monitoring zone activated for avoiding

436

Weather Routing

Create and Play a Weather Routing Animation

Movie below was created in MaxSea with a selected Weather Routing, it shows you how the boat will move according to the wind data speed in MaxSea. A ship icon follows this route in parallel with changes in the weather. This tool is particularly powerful as it correlates your route forecasts with changes in the weather.

Select the Weather Routing before creating the movie, Right-click any where in the Weather Routing track and choose "Select /Line" in the menu list.

Note: the movie can be played outside MaxSea using Window Media Player .

Weather Routing Properties

All values listed in the Weather Routing Center are momentarily displayed when calculating a routing. This enables to easily follow

437

MaxSea Operator Manual version 12.6

438