Professional Weather Routing
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
If you wish to follow the optimum course which is calculated by the program, you can transform this routing into " Active Route ". you select the course with the Arrow tool from the Toolbar and then select [Convert to Active Route] from the [Navigation] menu ("Activating a list of points" paragraph from the "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:
•Name of the waypoint to be reached,
•Position in latitude and longitude,
•Heading to be followed to reach the following or previous point,
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•Distance between two points on the route,
•Running time, with polar speed, from the beginning of the trip,
•Speed reference: from the beginning of the trip, with a calculation for wind taken into account (wind at the beginning of the trip).
•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:
•A passage date (column from the table " ETA ")
•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.
•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.
•Apparent wind and close to a point, these parameters are represented in the table by the columns "Ang. App. Wind" 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.
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.
Related topic for selecting the Routing Center table: Setting the display parameters for center tables...
Selecting an optimal routing
You may want to select a course other than the optimum route which the program has calculated (in order to monitor a competitor, or to maintain a position favorable to predicted changes in weather conditions).
Go to the [Performance] menu and choose [Select Alternate Routing] ; the Finger tool will automatically be activated.
Use the Finger tool to click at the desired point on the isochron (the isochrons need to be displayed on the chart); after a couple of seconds the following dialog box will be displayed:
Professional Weather Routing
The remaining distance (Goal distance) to the next waypoint is shown (from the last isochron to be displayed) together with the total distance (Optimum goal distance) remaining if the optimum course is followed.
Note: you can also calculate any loss caused by following this course rather than the optimum course. This value is particularly useful for calculating the risk you are taking compared to other competitors.
Click on the Selection button to choose the new course (the route list will be modified to take into account the newly-chosen course).
Click on the Optimum button to return to the optimum course calculated by the software.
Modifying the Weather Forecast
Go to the [Weather] menu and choose [Modify Wind forecast....]
Enter each values that you wish modify (Hour, direction, Speed) inside the weather file forecast.
IMPORTANT
Any modifications you make will be applied globally to the weather file (for the entire zone, all time intervals, etc.).
Logbook
Navigation logbook
The Navigation logbook functions are located under the Logbook menu in Maxsea.
MaxSea automatically creates a navigation logbook similar to the one normally hand-written by the navigator himself.
To do this the software generates logbook entries at regular time intervals (to be determined by the user).
Moreover, you can specify a further criteria so that an additional entry may be made automatically in the logbook (when the ship’s course is modified by more than 15°, for example).
Lastly, it is also possible to manually generate a logbook entry by using the Event function.
When a logbook entry is made the software saves all known information for that point in the ship’s route (date, position, route, speed, weather information, etc.).
There are two types of logbook:
•The current logbook, where all events relevant to navigating the vessel are automatically stored. Only one of these exists.
•Archived logbooks which have been previously saved onto disk in "My Documents" folder as "LogBook.mdb".
This file is saved in Microsoft ® Access 97 format with out password.
Displaying the logbook on the chart
At first launch of MaxSea a logbook is automatically created.
Select [Logbook Displayed On Charts] from the [Logbook] to display the current logbook, as well as any archived logbooks which have been opened, on the chart; a marker will be shown against [Logbook Displayed On Charts] under the [Logbook] menu
Related topic:
Displaying the logbook window
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Note: before displaying an archived logbook select the opening archived logbook. (See the paragraph "Opening archived Logbook ")
They are drawn on the chart:
In dark green 1 (thick track on the chart) for the active logbook
In light green 2 (thin track on the chart) for an archived logbook.
Re-select [Logbook Displayed On charts] to erase the current logbook.
To erase an archived logbook select [Close Logbook file].
Displaying the logbook center
Display the logbook on the chart by selecting [Trip Logbook Center] from the [Logbook] menu.
Logbook
Two manners to display a logbook window:
Display the Active Logbook information
Using the Finger tool , access an entry in the logbook by double-clicking on it.
Or select [Trip Logbook Center] from the [Logbook] menu, a marker will be shown against Active logbook window under the Logbook menu.
Note: to display an archived logbook window which is opened do as above using the finger tool or select
[Logbook File] item from the [Logbook].
Click on the close window key to hide the logbook window or select again [Trip Logbook Center] from the [Logbook] menu.
Trip Logbook Center
You can obtain more information concerning your Logbook track by displaying the logbook window. Every line of the table describes an event.
The Logbook window:
Select [Trip logbook center] from the [Logbook] menu.
Or
Double-clicking with the finger tool will activate the logbook window and a cursor in the first column will be shown against a sequence line of the table.
A simple right click on a column of the table will display a contextual menu which allows you to:
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You can change the table display configuration by simply moving columns in the window using the drag and drop function:
1 Select the column
2 Then drag and drop the selected column
A commentary may be added to this Logbook
Note: if you have the program’s Race module a column will be added into the active logbook window and will inform about the Rate polar percent.
Creating an event
Select [Create a logbook entry] from the [Logbook] menu (shortcut F6).
Logbook
A logbook entry is stored in the navigation logbook.
We would advise you to use this function when experiencing excessive changes in conditions (notable increase in wind force factor, for example) or an unprecedented event occurs.
Configuring the logbook
Activate the function [Option: Logbook] under the [Logbook] menu to access the dialog box for configuring saved information.
Regular events
In the first section you can define the frequency of saves in either time or distance.
If the "Distance" check box is checked a line is added in the logbook:
When the boat went through the distance wanted since MaxSea's launch.
Every time the boat went through the selected distance of The last recording.
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If the "Time" box is checked and a time value is defined a line is added in the Logbook:
When the past time is equal to the selected time since MaxSea's launch.
When the past time since the last recording is equal to the selected time.
Conditional events
In the second section you may, if you wish, enter a further save criteria.
To do so click on the "Activate conditional lines" check-box to activate it, then click on the Add button for the choice of a conditional event. The " Add/Modify" dialog box appears and allows you different choices of criteria:
Choose the type of conditional event, this will generate a line in the logbook. Two items are proposed:
"The modification of the value is greater than" item is chosen, the delimiting value is defined and the type of data on which you want to apply the conditional event is selected. A line will be added in the logbook every time when the conditional event is reached. The value is compared with the last recorded value.
Or
"The value is cross" the delimiting value specified in the input text. A line will be added in the logbook every time when the conditional event is reached. The value is compared with the last recorded value and the comparison does not depend on the direction. For example if the value cross is [10K for the SOG ] an event is created when the SOG value reaches from 9.9K to 10.1K but also when the SOG value reaches from 10.1K to 9.9K.
To select the data criteria from the pop-up menu
