A few years ago, a boat bearing two sailors got caught in a current and floated a few nautical miles into the open sea off Rushikonda Bay, near Visakhapatnam.
The duo was participating in the National Hobie 16 championships. In the thick of the competition, the boat's mast broke and its colourful sails collapsed. Besides the fact that competitors were prohibited from carrying mobile phones, signal strengths were weak at the time.
As their twin-hulled craft drifted dangerously, the stranded sailors could only wave their hands, hoping to catch someone's eye on the shore, fast receding into the background. Fortunately for them, an official took a count of the sails and realised a boat was missing. With assistance from a Coast Guard vessel and a helicopter, the pair was rescued.
Such a scenario can well be averted today, thanks to yacht tracking technology introduced perhaps for the first time by Bartronics during the Monsoon Regatta 2010 in Hyderabad's Hussain Sagar. “Leveraged by a combination of GPS, GPRS/SMS and Internet technologies, receivers worn by participants or fitted to the boats use microwave signals to relay real-time data to at least three satellites at a time,” said Shyam Rao, president, Bartronics.
“Updated every four seconds, the yacht's precise location, speed and direction can be ascertained, even from remote locations, on the map, a computer or laptop displays, when accessed via the Internet web-link >http://gps.bartronicsindia.com/ ,” said Sri Sathya Jagadeesh K., product manager, Automatic Identification & Data Capture (AIDC) Division, Bartronics.
The mapping technology's precise nature assists umpires/jurors/judges in establishing facts without human bias or by relying solely on witness accounts, when objections are raised over collisions, right of way or other rule infringements. The data base also aids aspirants in chalking out strategies for future competitions.
Most importantly, the system's data push technology enables participants in distress or accident situations to send SOS messages to a preconfigured number, reducing response time to such emergencies.
