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I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them." This message,
attributed to the late Russian-born American science fiction writer and renowned
futurist Isaac Asimov, easily could apply to today’s yachtsmen. Nowhere on the
modern yacht is this more apparent than on the bridge.
The rapid evolution of digital technology over the past
quarter-century has changed navigation, systems monitoring and communications in
fundamental ways. Common LCD screens display position, course, radar, tides and
currents, weather, tank and battery levels, CCTV and engine performance. All
functions are controlled by trackballs, wireless keyboards and touch screens.
Paper charts, once needed to plan any passage, are no longer in evidence. Even
the ship’s wheel is becoming an artifact replaced by a joystick.
 Sans Souci, a 68-foot Nordhavn, shows off her modern bridge. The dash depth is
minimal and three screens deliver selected info. Note the casual placement
of the wireless keyboard. Photograph by Stephen Cridland. (Click image to enlarge)
Never before have yacht captains had so much information
available to them. As long as the electrical power holds out on a modern yacht,
the captain can know more quickly and more precisely than ever before where he
is, where he’s going and the condition of his vessel. All this information is
presented to him in a customizable form.
The turning point in this transition was the dawn of GPS. In
1993, the U.S. Air Force completed the Global Positioning System, or GPS, when
it launched the 24th Navstar satellite into orbit. Once the system
was in place, it trumped LORAN (Long Range Navigation) and the satellite
navigation system then in use. The military maintained proprietary use of GPS
for security reasons until 2000 when the government stopped the intentional
degradation of the signal. Private citizens were then able to receive accurate
signals without purchasing additional electronics.
 The radar units pictured here all use a cathode ray tube; notice how deep they
are. Before touch screens, all screen controls were on the units. The upper-left
unit shown is Furuno’s FP170 chartplotter, circa 1985. Photography by Furuno U.S.A. Inc. (Click image to enlarge)
The transition to the modern bridge was a swift evolutionary
process. Reliable location technology fostered development of consumer-oriented
electronic chartplotters. These spawned development of the at-sea PC for
navigation.
Kelly Hulse, president of VEI, a marine computer and screen
manufacturer, says he started adapting computers for marine use in 1988 to
accommodate yacht-owner desire for onboard offices. In 1990, with electronic
"charts" becoming practical, he started installing navigational capability in
his units, using locating data from LORAN units.
 Note the wheel’s prominence on the older bridge. Photograph by Furuno U.S.A. Inc. (Click image to enlarge)
Early images were little more than black lines on a white
background—no color, no detail—and were displayed on bulky CRT screens. Small
LCD screens were the norm on handheld GPS units and hard-mounted chartplotters.
Viable standalone LCD flat-panel screens—the namesake component of the glass
bridge—were still a few years away. Electronic charts developed by companies
such as C-Map, Maptech, Nobeltec and Navionics hit the market and began to
evolve. Features were added to new editions that made the electronic charts more
detailed than paper charts could ever hope to be. In time, they became not just
charts, but software programs that offered information on many things including
yacht services and shoreside recreation.
Modular electronics have significantly changed bridge design
and made the instrument panel more homogeneous. If a standalone system is used,
such as Furuno’s NavNet 3D, Raymarine’s G-Series, Simrad’s SimNet or Northstar’s
8000i, interfacing is a plug-and-play affair. If the yacht has a black box
system, using varied components, then a unit such as VEI’s SSIR controller is
required to permit input data from any source to be streamed to the vessel’s
screens.
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