S/Y Aeolian, an update

SY Aeolian nav station cGass

It’s good to hear that Aeolian shook the snow off her decks and made it to Bermuda. John Gass emailed that the skipper is “very pleased” with his new NavNet vx2 system, but the electronics in this included nav station shot (bigger here) look like they were installed when the boat was built by Holland Jachtbouw in 1998. It’s not 1985 vintage, but you don’t see some of these devices every day.


Check, for instance, the VDO Logic Combi all-in-one engine & tank dial at lower right. Above it is B&G Hydra 2000 instrumentation, which now seems absent from B&G’s own site (discontinued?). There’s also an ICS NAV4 Navtex receiver and a Leica MK 10 DGPS (which is now sold as the MX Marine MX420). Aeolian’s custom system monitoring program can be seen on the color display. John reports that the PC running it is a Beckhoff CX1000, which looks to be compact but powerful industrial technology. Apparently it’s set up as Web server (somewhat similar to that little Wetter Navtex receiver), so anyone with the URL and password can access the program, even via WiFi. The whole set up certainly looks serious, but perhaps a little dated even at 10 years old? Electronics have been evolving fast, eh? 
   At any rate, Aeolian may be back at St. Barths soon, but pity the poor crew who are missing one beautiful winter on the coast of Maine! Below, bigger here, is the snowy dawn view from Mt. Battie yesterday, and—yahoo 2008—we got another 10 inches last night. (By the way, if you want to check this photo against Panbo’s more zoomed-in header, note that the far island way left is Isle au Haute and the one way out beyond the almost empty inner harbor is Matinicus. Check the chart; that’s clear winter air!)



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Ben Ellison

Ben Ellison

Panbo editor, publisher & chief bottlewasher from 4/2005 until 8/2018, and now pleased to have Ben Stein as a very able publisher, webmaster, and editing colleague. Please don't regard him as an "expert"; he's getting quite old and thinks that "fadiddling fumble-putz" is a more accurate description.

5 Responses

  1. DefJef says:

    Ben,
    Happy new year~! What a stunning photo~
    Jef
    sv
    shiva

  2. Anonymous says:

    not forgetting the Furuno (looks like FR7041 or 7061 / 7062)
    Very good bomb proof radar!

  3. Ben Ellison Ben Ellison says:

    John Gass adds an update to the update:
    Yes, that is the old system – I wanted to show you the monitor screen. Unfortunately I don’t have any shots of the new system (D’Oh!) but I’ll see if I can get some. I did a nifty powder-coated engraved lighting panel from a company called RCI Custom {http://www.rcicustom.com/}.
    Sent them a CAD file and they sent back a panel with all the holes exactly where I wanted them, and the lettering engraved & filled with lacquer. The only thing that’s left of the old panel is the H2000. I haven’t heard anything about it’s being discontinued – yikes! – although with Navico now at the helm I guess anything is possible. I had to order a B&G RFU for Aeolian the day after the sales office transition to OK, and was a little concerned when they initially couldn’t find the part, but it got here the next day. It’ll be interesting to see how Navico shakes out all the lines of sailing instruments they now own. I’ll see what I can find out.
    Awesome shot from Mt. Battie! We settled for Beech Hill…

  4. Mike Sugden says:

    The B&G H2000 system has been replaced with the new H3000 system but we have retained many of the existing products (i.e. sensors and displays) and developed some new graphical displays to allow greater control of the data available and display it in different ways. The H3000 displays are backward compatible with H2000 systems and you can upgrade your system with the new products. We are still continuing to build H2000 displays and processors and these are available as spare / replacement parts but if you would like a new system then it would have to be H3000.
    You can find all the details about the new H3000 system on our website (www.bandg.com)

  5. Tony Hauglum says:

    Do you have any H2000 processors and performance units. I have a 1992 Hercules 690 system that was recently damaged by lightning, and am trying to repair the system. Any help?
    Tony Hauglum
    Corpus Christi, Tx
    361-884-1811

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