Garmin

The GPS displays and JL Audio sound system are impressive enough in themselves, but our attention turned to a few new products that we were able to discover - and test - directly on the water.

The most spectacular is undoubtedly the Spy Pole, a motorized pole designed to carry transducers. Usually paired with a bow-mounted motor and used primarily for freshwater fishing, here it had been installed on a platform at the stern. Its advantage? The pole can automatically sweep from right to left to search for fish or structures, allowing the angler to identify them and position the boat over them before making full use of the information provided by the transducer.

Another particularly convincing demonstration involved the bow-mounted Kraken electric motor used in anchor mode. In the middle of the harbor basin, it automatically holds the boat in position in almost complete silence. To make small corrections astern, the motor doesn’t even need to rotate: the propeller simply reverses direction. This avoids unnecessary movement and jolts while maintaining the boat’s position precisely.
Finally, Garmin showed us its MOB watch, with an interesting approach to safety on board. Worn by crew members, it can automatically signal a man-overboard situation on the boat’s displays and create an MOB waypoint to help return to the person in the water. If it’s the skipper who falls overboard, the system can also shut down the propulsion. More advanced than a simple kill switch, the solution really comes into its own when several people are on board: everyone can be equipped, particularly children, who obviously cannot be watched constantly.

Fishing, positioning, comfort and safety: above all, our short trip out of La Rochelle showed just how far electronics can now assist recreational boaters, whether they fish or not…

www.garmin.com