There thread about the two ladies and a dog boat which was surveilled by a drone from a Volvo Ocean Race boat got me thinking. What other uses for a drone can we conger up?
Some notions: For navigation wouldn't a high up vantage provide useful visual info to the pilot while approaching unfamiliar waters or harbors. Water depth contours? Rocks, reefs, clumps, shoals and dumplings? Maybe spot buoys not visible at sea level. Or other boat traffic. What about racing? Couldn't a anemometer equipped drone give real time wind shift predictions from in front of the sail plan, or above it? Track competitors? Sail trim from a different vantage point than onboard? Or MOB situations. Imagine a drone linked to personal locator which could hover above MOB with a visible light so the position would be visible in waves. Maybe a drone could make a super high radio antenna. or adjunct to radar. What does anyone else's imagination bring up? How could this technology revolutionize our sailing?
Some notions: For navigation wouldn't a high up vantage provide useful visual info to the pilot while approaching unfamiliar waters or harbors. Water depth contours? Rocks, reefs, clumps, shoals and dumplings? Maybe spot buoys not visible at sea level. Or other boat traffic. What about racing? Couldn't a anemometer equipped drone give real time wind shift predictions from in front of the sail plan, or above it? Track competitors? Sail trim from a different vantage point than onboard? Or MOB situations. Imagine a drone linked to personal locator which could hover above MOB with a visible light so the position would be visible in waves. Maybe a drone could make a super high radio antenna. or adjunct to radar. What does anyone else's imagination bring up? How could this technology revolutionize our sailing?
