Spectra Geospatial SP90m GNSS Receiver Chosen for Single-handed Around-the-World Yacht Race

The Vendée Globe is an extreme endurance test for both sailor and boat and widely considered the ultimate challenge in ocean racing.

The SP90m provides the skipper of the Maître CoQ, Yannick Bestaven with precise position and boat heading information. The SP90m information is integrated to a separate attitude information source, and the entire package of the position, heading and attitude is sent to the boat’s autopilot. Bestaven, responding to the changing sea and wind conditions, trategically adjusts the autopilot to keep the boat moving at top speed to the desired destination as he changes and trims sails and trims foils to achieve maximum sailing efficiency.

The Maître CoQ is an advanced design mono-hull foiling sailing yacht in the category of IMOCA (International Monohull Offshore Class Association) which have a fixed length of 18.28 m (60 feet), Antoine Connan, head of engineering for the Maître Coq racing team, selected the SP90m. The hostile environment and

requirements for precise position information at sea far from land made the selection of the SP90m an important technical choice. It always delivers an accurate position and precise heading with no GNSS corrections. Commenting on the performance of the SP90m in the recent July, 2020- 2800 mile qualifying race, the Vendée- Arctique-Les Sables D’Olonne, Connan reports “We are already very happy with its installation on board."

The SP90m is a rugged design ideal for marine environments. With 480-channel tracking and dual GNSS antenna inputs, the SP90m is an integrated onboard rover receiver offering minimal size and low power consumption.