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Anyone who has so much as dabbled in marine electronics will have come across the term NMEA, often colloquially expressed as “NEMA”. 

This is the acronym for the National Marine Electronics Association, a non-profit organisation based in the US who manage communication protocols and standards for marine electronics and promote compatibility across manufacturers. This blog aims to give a brief overview of the NMEA 2000 protocol and the basic features of a NMEA 2000 network.  

Calypso Instruments are a manufacturer of portable and small-scale installation wind meters. Based in Spain, the company provides anemometers to a range of industries where wind data is important, including marine, agriculture and renewable energy. In the world of sailing, Calypso Instruments offers the possibility to have a low cost, low impact wind meter for small sports boats and day sailors where a full-blown marine electronics package isn’t practical. In this blog we highlight the key features of the portable wind meter range which is now available at Upffront.com. 

Cyclops Marine and Sailmon have recently announced a direct link (removing need for additional gateways) between the Max GPS race computer and the smartlink Nano load cell. Sailmon are one of the first mainstream electronics manufacturers to recognise the massive impact load data will bring to understanding performance sailing, by creating a seamless interface and a truly Plug & Play user experience. At the same time, Cyclops has also taken this opportunity to introduce a major technology update to create their smartlink² Nano which will be rolled out across their full range over the coming months.

In previous articles we have spoken about the Sailmon Max and the Cyclops Marine smartlink Nano, but never the two together! Not only will we be introducing some cutting-edge technology, but we will also be talking you through why they work so well together.

GPS, navigation data, wind data, boat speed, heel, rig loads etc. Onboard electronics are far more accurate and capable than ever before, and with the innovations in solar, hydro-generators and efficient batteries, sailors are able to charge and depend on more electronic systems, without worrying about battery life and excess CO2 emissions.

All of these on board sensors are capable of coming together to generate a huge amount of useful and accurate data, but it all comes to nothing, unless it can be clearly read and analysed quickly by you and your crew. This is where the nke Multidisplay comes in.

©nke marine electronics

For most cruising and offshore race sailboats, the autopilot is a critical piece of equipment. However, the difference between a “good” and a “not so good” sailing autopilot can be dramatic! Therefore, it is well worth understanding all the necessary components of a good system to create the autopilot package to suit your needs.