2019: B&G's year in review

We’ve been helping sailors achieve their dreams since Major R.N. Gatehouse and Ronald Brookes launched the first B&G product in 1955. 2019 was no exception, with a host of innovative products launched, some top racing successes and cruising feats. As 2019 draws to a close, here’s B&G’s year in review.

We started the year by launching a free software upgrade to Vulcan and Zeus2 and Zeus3 chartplotter users. NOS18.3 offers sailors the chance to plan their passage at home using the free C-MAP Embark App. C-MAP Embark Sync allows you to share waypoint, route and track data between the app and your chartplotter to save you time on the boat and let you re-live your trips when you’re back on dry land. NOS 18.3 also extends Advanced Windplot functionality to Vulcan chartplotters.

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Later in the year we launched the new WS300 and WS700 wind sensors. B&G wind sensors already led the market in terms of reliability and accuracy, but we spent months in the wind tunnel and out on the water to develop our new sensor head. Following over 500 individual wind tunnel tests and over 200,000 hours of field testing, the result is the WS300 and WS700 wind sensors, which offer wired or wireless connectivity, exceptional accuracy and improved aerodynamics to deliver the best wind data to your instruments. They’re already in use by top teams including all SailGP boats and INEOS TEAM UK.

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Soon afterwards came the new V60-B VHF Radio – the first in the world to combine an AIS transmitter and receiver with a VHF radio in one sleek package. Offering support for wireless handsets, AIS send-and-receive cabability, an integral GPS receiver and Navigation mode, it’s a stylish and compact way to improve your safety on the water.

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In November came an even bigger breakthrough in safety afloat. The new HALO20 and 20+ radomes are lightweight and consume minimal power – and pack our award-winning HALO pulse-compression radar technology into a small dome. This brings VelocityTrack* Doppler Technology and MARPA target tracking to smaller boats, delivering crystal clear radar images in ranges of up to 36nm* - and offers 60rpm operation* at close range.

*HALO 20+ only

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2019 also saw B&G top the podium in sailing events around the globe. Highlights included the biennial Fastnet Race, which saw B&G-equipped boats take the top three spots in Line Honours rankings and Overall in IRC – as well as podium positions throughout the large fleet. In the autumn, the Transat Jaques Vabre saw B&G-equipped IMOCA, Class 40 and Multi50 yachts dominate, with instruments and autopilots ensuring the shorthanded racers could perform to their utmost.

We were also delighted to be announced Technical Supplier to the inaugural SailGP – which saw B&G wind sensors, navigation and communication equipment take centre stage in the exciting, fast-paced racing. Our equipment can also be found helping INEOS Team UK challenge for the America’s Cup – as well as performance racing teams and club racers win races around the world.

Elsewhere, B&G equipment helped Barba head into the frozen Arctic in search of Orcas and scientific research, while YouTube stars Sailing Uma used their B&G radar, autopilot and chartplotter to navigate the foggy Grand Banks and head across the Atlantic. Later, fellow ambassadors Sailing La Vagabond took a more southerly route and across the Atlantic to Lisbon in winter with climate activist Greta Thunberg aboard.

2019 also saw a new website for B&G and a new CEO in the form of successful Volvo Ocean Race and Olympic sailor Knut Frostad. We’re set for a bumper 2020, with some innovative and exciting products launching throughout the year – and sailors all over the world set to use their B&G electronics to support their passion for sailing. Happy New Year!

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