The great achievement was made as the SailBuoy met (SB met) competed in the Microtransat Challenge. Offshore Sensing participated in the class for unmanned vessels up to 2.4 meters, where communication with the vessel is permitted.
“After 80 days at sea she has finally arrived at the finish line. Deployed in Newfoundland, she has travelled 3000 km to Ireland. The actual sailing distance was 5100 km. The wind has varied from flat calm to strong gale”, writes researcher, inventor and general manager David Peddie on Offshore Sensing Facebook-page.
The organizers confirm that the SB met is the first boat to complete the challenge:
“SB met has travelled over 5000km in 79 days since leaving Newfoundland on June 7th. Over the previous eight years there have been 23 unsuccessful attempts. The best of these being another SailBuoy boat, SB Wave which got about halfway across the Atlantic last year.”
Can be used for a wide variety of ocean applications
The SailBuoy uses wind power for propulsion. Power for the electronics and actuators is provided by solar panels. Data communication and control is established in real-time using the Iridium satellite system through a user-friendly web interface.
The vessel can be used for a wide variety of ocean applications. From measuring ocean and atmospheric parameters to tracking oil spills or acting as a communication relay station for subsea instrumentation. You can follow the SailBuoy and update tracks in real-time from your computer, tablet or smart phone.
SailBuoy is based on research and technology from Christian Michelsen Research (CMR). Bergen Teknologioverføring is a partner in the project’s successful application for FORNY-funding from the Norwegian Research Council. The technology is today owned by Offshore Sensing. BTO helped establish the company and we are today one of its owners together with CMR (Tecom) and David Peddie.