Testimonial: Connectivity at the Heart of the Atlantic | Transat Café L’Or
During the last Transat Café L’Or in Class40, we faced a situation that every skipper dreads. From the very first miles, after enduring strong storms, our primary communication system — a Starlink Mini — suffered a connectivity issue. In the middle of the Atlantic, it suddenly became inoperable, with no possibility of onboard repair.
In the vastness of the open sea, being cut off from the world is a major challenge. We immediately switched to Advanced Tracking's SmartConnect Gateway, which we had initially brought along as a backup solution.
An Invisible Transition, a Positive Outcome
This transition from one system to another occurred without any difficulty. The outcome, for us, is extremely positive: the SmartConnect Gateway allowed us to maintain reliable and stable connectivity. The throughput remained sufficient for all our uses, with a significant added advantage in race navigation: reduced power consumption. At sea, energy management is a daily battle, and this energy efficiency is a decisive advantage.
Why Connectivity is the Nerve of War
For a crew engaged in a transatlantic race, connectivity is no longer a comfort; it is a key element of safety and performance. It allows us to manage real-time weather, receive essential information, and anticipate risky situations.
Above all, it determines our ability to "stay in the race." Thanks to the Gateway's stability, we maintained constant access to our strategic tools: GRIB files, satellite images, wave data, and even satellite images for sargassum. Today, this data has become indispensable for refining our route choices, exploiting weather transitions, and navigating safely on increasingly challenging trajectories.
Meeting the Demands of the Race
In an event like the Transat Café L’Or, the link with land is also a sporting and media obligation. We had to ensure:
- Daily sending of videos, photos, and texts for the official race website.
- Regular communication with our partners, our technical team ashore, and our loved ones.
A Robust Solution for the Realities of the Open Sea
Under these demanding conditions, the continuity of service and the SmartConnect Gateway's ability to prioritize essential flows were key factors in our success. This solution proved to be much more than just a backup system. It is a truly operational solution. A point far from anecdotal in a real situation: it was used with the same fluidity from our smartphones as from the main onboard computer.
In summary, it is a robust, energy-efficient solution perfectly adapted to the brutal realities of the open sea.
Mikael Mergui
Skipper Class40 Centrakor - Hirsch