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See the more recent footnotes at end of this page, for the video of Brunel Sunergy's return in 1998, and Cowes Week 2015. This is now Robin's "Stuart Quarrie" page :-)

GPSS On Water

Updated 1400 Thursday 23rd April 1998

"Hey Stuart ! That was a hell of a party last night... are we in the right boat ?"

Well Done Crew of Brunel Sunergy !
I just had to put this up, when I heard the news just now... Stuart Quarrie, an old friend and flatmate from 1971, is Navigator for Brunel Sunergy in the 'Whitbread'. Steve - who shall not be identified further, to protect the guilty - was the third in the flat, and just called to give me the news... Brunel Sunergy just won the leg up the US east coast from Fort Lauderdale to Baltimore. More details can be seen on the web site www.whitbread.org
The picture on the left is a from a few years ago, with Stuart minding Michelle at the helm, across the Solent. A shared memory of Stuart, Steve and Robin, was our first flight in a 'straight-six' 1950's vintage Wolsley, at 65mph off a hump backed bridge designed for nearer 5mph. Steve was at the wheel, with Stuart Navigating, and Robin cringing on the back seat. Best Wishes for the sail home Brunel Sunergy - we hope to be there !

- and now the rest of the page ...
Watch this space ! Robin is hoping to add more detail soon. Use of GPSS on water does not need to be the obvious !
This page may soon have more information on :

White Water rafting along Snake River in the USA.
Power Boat racing around the Channel Islands.
Yacht races across the Baltic.
or just finding the nearest pub on the river :-)

GPSS can, of course, be used on the water if loaded with the appropriate map data such as naval charts for sea-farers, or conventional maps - for inland waterways.
There are many ways in which GPSS might be used :

run on compact PC equipment designed to withstand salt and/or water.
provide an on-board system based upon a radio microphone link from above deck to a PC computer below deck which speaks back over radio or loudspeakers.
"The nearest mooring place is 250 yards ahead at your 12 o'clock"
Inmarsat-C based tracking and two way communications with or between a number of vessels - such as in the 'BT Global Challenge' round-the-world yacht race.
as an anti-theft GPS/phone device analogous to those for car-security.
GPS, and perhaps even the speaking PC, built into helmets for white water use.
just 'playing back' on maps where the GPS was carried, recording data itself.

Footnote added in October 2014: we never did change anything on this page - until now: I've just uploaded a 12 minute youtube Video of Brunel Sunergy's return into Southampton, in 1998. I found an old home video on VHS tape, filmed when we went down to see Stuart arrive. Maybe there are crew, like Stuart, and Roy Heiner, the skipper, who will enjoy seeing it. I was reminded of this when chatting about Snoopy's Robot Boat with someone on the Microtransat forum. In the early years (from 2008 - 2011), the Autopilot for Snoopy's boats were driven by the Pocket PC version of GPSS. I see that, since 1998, we had a few words, and (poor) pictures, on our 1998 Christmas Newsletter - but the video is better ! Sorry about those marching pigs :-) Checkout the far more professional video that I just found, giving the Full Story of the 1997/98 Whitbread Race !
Footnote in December 2014: Another photo album picture from the 1980s: that's Samantha at the helm this time.

August 2015: Stuart showed us around at start of Cowes Week: Play 4 minute Cowes Week 2015 video. For the 2015 Fastnet race news and videos, see www.rolexfastnetrace.com.