Systems that help skippers on the move
A fleet of seven wind farm support boats manufactured by South Boats for Turbine Transfers (part of Holyhead Towing) have installed identical electronics and safety equipment to help skippers move between vessels depending on their shifts.
A specific requirement was that the bridge systems could be quickly and easily personalised. Working on a rota means that skippers switch between boats, and often want to set up screen views and nav data to suit their individual requirements. This also enables them to see and access all the available data quickly and easily.
The Raymarine system comprises two E120 and an E80 multi function display. There is a DSM300 for high definition sonar data, and radar input from a 4kW HD Digital open array and 4kW HD Digital radome. Three CAM100 cameras are mounted on board – located on the vessel’s mast infrastructure, at the aft of the vessel for ease of steering and docking, and in the passenger saloon – feeding images through to the multifunction display screens.
The new HD Digital Radar has proved particularly popular with skippers, reports Mr Coleman. ‘With radar, everyone used to change the gain or clutter each time, and now there’s no need as it’s completely automatic and the detail from the image is outstanding. We’ve had a lot of positive feedback on Raymarine’s High Definition Digital 4kW radar. The images available on the large E Series colour screen, even through heavy rain, are exceptional.’
Mr Coleman also likes the fact that the equipment has been easy to install. ‘The integration is excellent, and you really can take it out the box, install, power on and you’re good to go. We have to ensure that these boats operate to their full capacity on a 24/7 basis, so we don’t have any time for failures or long service requirements. If something does get damaged it’s easy to swap out equipment and get the boat back into operation. We always get excellent support from Raymarine and there’s always someone there on the end of a phone line if we do need information or support.’
Further, Raymarine’s G Series navigation system was chosen for installation on Seawork exhibitor Alicat’s 20 metre workboat, which is also to be employed as a support vessel for offshore wind farm maintenance.
The Raymarine G Series offers high-definition images, and importantly the brightness of the monitors can be used in direct sunlight with no loss of visibility. The MD of Charity and Taylor (who advised and managed the installation) Nigel Darling said, ‘We were able to clearly see the turbines, which were well defined on the display when approaching. This makes it invaluable in bad conditions.’
