The Bench

How does St. Nick know where to steer his sleigh? He must have a GPS connected to the Ockam system in his sleigh! Being the patron saint of sailors, St. Nicolas wants you to know where you are, too. Place your order for an 041 GPS interface from now until December 24, and receive a special 15% discount!

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The Vysion displays are up and running on a few boats now, and all who have used them are quite happy. They are highly visible, can be almost infinitely customized, and have several features not found on any other display.

We now have a demo program available that can be run on any PC. It requires a source of Ockam data to run properly. If you have the OckamSoft 4.07 driver installed on the PC, you can place it in simulator mode, and the Vysion program will read the data. It can also read live data that is pitched over UDP broadcast from an Ockam system (like from a 051L LANBridge or the OckamSoft driver).

The demo program requires registration, which uses the usual Ockam unlock key exchange. The operating time is limited, but is variable and determined by us when the registration key is issued. Typical allowances have been in the range of 2 weeks.

Write to me, Dan Chesson, at the "repairs" email address to obtain a link to download the demo application.

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Congratulations to Victory ‘83 for winning the Modern division at the 12M Worlds. The crew worked hard to get that victory. We have worked with them over many months to refine many points of the instrument system and help develop new training solutions. All that hard work paid off!

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Here’s a YouTube clip of the new Titan in action… note the Ockam displays at the mast and helm.

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A BIG congratulations to Kjeld Hestehave and the crew of Velos on their outstanding performance in class IRC B of the 2009 Rolex Big Boat Series in San Francisco. You can’t get better than 6 first place finishes!!!

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So what’s new here at Ockam? A few things…

First, the new Vysion system has now been installed on a few boats. We’ve encountered some growing pains with these, but that’s the price to pay for bleeding-edge technology! We continue to improve the system, and all involved seem to be pretty happy with the results. I’ve even heard from other boats racing against the boats with the Vysion displays, and all remarks have been very positive. One person remarked that he could easily read the Vysion display on the boat… from another boat over 100 feet astern in direct sunlight! There’s even an example program that simulates the Vysion output that you can install here (please use Internet Explorer for this link) or download a zip file here for later use.

We continue to refine the DeWiggler program. There are many refinements for the program now. One major refinement is that there are many "flavors" of DeWiggler available. There is the original Analyst version, which requires collection of data to be sent to Ockam for analysis and report generation. This can produce corrections for compass, boat speed, and wind inputs. There is a sub-version of analyst that produces reports for just compass and boat speed, the test for which can be done under motor (no crew required). There is also an "instant gratification" version avaialble: DeWiggler Realtime. This version can produce corrections for all the same things as the Analyst version, except for Upwash Slope. These corrections are available immediately after running the tests. There is no human to judge the validity of data, so this test may not produce as good results as the Analyst version, but it is still much improved over the initial results that one can expect from a regular human-only calibration. Finally, there is now a tack analysis program available. This program analyzes the boat’s performance during tacks, and allows the crew to determine areas of inadequacy that might be addressed to improve racing performance.

Our 051L LANBridge continues to gain momentum. There are now several boats with this interface installed. Data input to a PC is much simpler, and now multiple computers can read the instrument data without the hassle of a distributing multiplexer! We have also been involved in some very advanced (for a boat) network architecture, and have created a telemetry system using a 051L LANBridge with some additional hardware. Can hacking another boat’s instrument system be too far off?

We are working on an updated version of the venerable 001 CPU. We were forced to twilight production of the popular CPU after many years of production due to difficulty in obtaining parts in reasonable quantities. Initially, we believed that the T1 CPU would adequately address demand for an Ockam system, as the T1 has easily outsold the 001 since its introduction. However, there is still the cadre of older boats with the 001 system that need support, and now many sport boats are looking for the performance of an Ockam system without the processing features of the T1. We are currently developing the new CPU, and are hopeful for a spring 2010 release.

We would love to hear from you if you have any questions or comments regarding these new developments… drop us a line!

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The story of one boat having calibration problems was recently relayed to us. The crew was having difficulty obtaining reasonable numbers from their instrument system, so they began to "calibrate" the instruments. I used quotes because what they were doing was not actually calibration, but fiddling and guessing. After a race or practice, they would talk over the numbers they saw while sailing, and then adjust the instrument according to what they thought they should be. They were getting frustrated because the instruments would constantly show inconsistent numbers, and needed adjustment after every race. The instruments became worse than useless - they became unnecessary weight and a source of frustration and distraction.

There have also been cases where we have been told that the instruments must be wrong, since the driver knew he could go faster than that or the boat couldn’t possibly sail like it did in the conditions indicated by the instruments. After much discussion where we made the case that the instruments need to be calibrated correctly, the crew went ahead and adjusted the calibrations to reflect what they thought were the correct calibrations. This of course created false data which in turn led to bad decisions, and many poor finishes. If I recall correctly, it also led to one boat being sold in frustration. The new owner of said boat calibrated the instruments correctly, and was very happy with the results.

The hazards of engaging in this behavior should be obvious. Anyone trained in science can tell you that forcing the data to fit your own perception or assumption leads to incorrect conclusions. Pilots are very familiar with this - there have been many documented crashes where the pilot chose to follow perception rather than hard instrument data and pranged the aircraft (often with fatalities). A well-calibrated instrument system may sometimes give odd figures, but these may be indications of conditions that can give an advantage when recognized, such as wind shear.

The numbers used for calibration should not be created by guessing or by the T-LAR method (that looks about right). We have a well-established routine for calculating the calibration numbers. The Ockam System Manual contains a detailed step-by-step process for manually calibrating the instruments. It even has work sheets that guide the user through the whole process - what I call the "plug and chug" method. The numbers are plugged into the various formulae, and the then the answers are chugged out. However, some people are simply frightened by math, and avoid doing this. I think this is a bit ridiculous, since the math used is no more advanced than what you might use to balance your check book.

Some people insist on using a professional calibrator, but their services are not necessary to produce good calibrations. A dedicated amateur can produce results as good as a professional. The difficulty in using professional calibrators is that they are hard to find and difficult to schedule. They also tend to charge for their services and expenses. In my opinion, only the largest or most specialized boats really benefit from their services. Some calibrators are also professional sailors, so it may be possible to get a "two-fer" when hiring one, and have them sail in an important regatta. Not everyone can afford to do this, though.

The DeWiggler program can also produce excellent calibration data. I’ve written previously about what DeWiggler can do, and some of the information we’ve gleaned from the results. DeWiggler is probably the least intensive method of running the calibrations. The computer program is set up and run, and it guides the user through the entire calibration process. Depending on the version used (Realtime vs. Analyst), results may be available immediately, or in a few weeks. Not every boat has a computer available to run the DeWiggler program, but those that have run the program have been extremely happy with the results.

Even with good calibration, it is possible to fudge the numbers to produce the desired result. One top-level sailor would adjust the polar data weight during practices so he wouldn’t have to push the boat (and himself) every day sailing. He would make it appear as if they were always hitting or exceeding the performance numbers by de-rating the polar data (i.e., the boat did not have to go as fast to reach the theoretical speed). It didn’t really matter in the end, as he and his crew did quite well. However, anyone of lesser talent would have just been cheating themselves by not measuring performance honestly. How can you improve your performance if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong?

An excellent white paper has already been written on the politics of calibration, and is available on our web site. It discusses the types of personalities encountered on boats with problematic calibrations, and has suggestions on improving the situation.

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We’re entering the second year of public release of DeWiggler, and there is now enough data to make some general conclusions. Probably the single most important conclusion gleaned from the data analysis concerns the compass.

The first half of the DeWiggler tests calibrate the boat speed (V_s) and compass heading (M_s), so it is referred to as the V_sM_s test or "viz-miz." This test only requires motoring around in a pre-defined pattern (no sails), so it has been performed more than the other half. This test also has the greatest initial effect on the operation of the instrument system. That is, only if the apparent wind calibrations aren’t too far off. Using previously valid or the default wind settings are usually a good start.

From the data gathered, the median value of existing compass peak-to-peak deviations was 6 degrees. The interesting discovery was that on compasses with deviations above the median, no amount of compensation would sufficiently remove the error. The error was thus due to the installation area, and not the lack of automatic compensation. To correct the problem on these compasses, it is necessary to move the compass location to eliminate the source of error, and then re-run the automatic compensation.

For instance, one boat had horrible deviation values, and no amount of compensation was removing that error. The compass was moved, and the compensation improved immediately. The owner spoke to the builder and designer, and found out that steel reinforcements had been embedded in the fiberglass under the original location of the compass! There was no external evidence of this to alert the installer, so the only way to really discover this was by examining the quality of data from the compass with DeWiggler.

An aside on installing compasses: I find that using a hand-bearing compass to scout installation locations works pretty well. By moving the compass in and out of the proposed installation area, you can see the deflection caused by any ferrous materials in the area. If the compass needle moves a lot, that is probably not a good location.

It is important to remove as much deviation as possible, as any compass deviation is completely carried into the wind direction figure calculated by the instrument system. That means that 10 degrees of deviation will create a 10 degrees error in the wind direction.

For the complete analysis of the first season’s DeWiggler results, see the document at http://www.ockam.com/dewiggler/DeWigglerReport.pdf

We have also thought about how DeWiggler is used. There are likely to be some refinements in the coming months, especially in regards to changing calibrations before a race. It’s been well-noted that racers get really nervous about changing things just before a big regatta, so some changes in DeWiggler will be made to reduce the jitters caused by changing the calibrations. Also as previously mentioned, the V_sM_s test is by far the easiest portion of the DeWiggler test suite to perform. There is now separate pricing to run only the V_sM_s test.

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I just received an email from Kjeld Hesthave, the owner of the Tanton 73 "Velos", regarding the 2008 Pacific Cup (the "fun race" to Hawaii). He was letting me know of their 2nd place finish in class F (big boats), with a 13th place overall.

The great thing about this is that the boat was built in 1986, and had two other owners before Kjeld. The first owner raced it, and the second used it as a cruising yacht in Maine. An Ockam system was installed on the boat from the beginning, making some portions of the system 22 years old at the time of the race! The instrument system has been updated with newer interfaces and had some items repaired over the years, but the fact that such an old instrument system helped guide the crew of "Velos" to such a decent finish should be impressive to anyone. I’m sure that there were other boats with much newer gear that finished far behind "Velos" - proving that the Ockam instrument system gives quality that lasts! As long as the instrument system is maintained, it will give years of excellent service. We are happy to provide advice and assistance in this regard.

Congratulations is in order for Kjeld and his crew for a great race, we wish them much luck in future races! If you are cleaning up the race course with an older boat, let us know. We love to hear from our customers!

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Here are the final KWRW 2009 results for those boats known to have Ockam instrument systems:

Swan 42:
1. Vitesse, Jon Halbert
2. Arethusa, Phil Lotz
3. Celeritas, Malcolm Gefter

PHRF 1:
1. Primal Scream, Steven Stollman

PHRF 2:
2. RUSH, Bill Sweetster

Congratulations to the owners and crews for a job well done!

Also, congratulation to local Milford, Connecticut sailor, John Nevin for his PHRF 4 first place finish in his S2 9.1 "Elysium" (even though he doesn’t have Ockam instruments !).

Do you have a boat that we missed in the results that you would like included? Simply email dan@ockam.com for inclusion!

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