Photo by Lydia Mullan
B&G has long been putting out top-of-the-line electronics, but the new Zeus S Chartplotter is a fresh take on the best way to give sailors the exact information they need, when they need it.
“So many more people sail shorthanded these days, whether as a couple or when they’re doublehanded racing,” says B&G Product Director Matt Eeles. “We wanted to design a system to support that.”
To achieve this, the team focused on keeping the operating system simple and fuss-free, so that crews with limited bandwidth wouldn’t need to waste time adjusting. The Zeus S has two preset functionality modes that allow toggling between racing and cruising displays. Each display mode has the most relevant data and features for whatever kind of sailing you’re doing.
The resulting display is uncluttered and intuitive even for less experienced crew. The system is compatible with C-MAP Discover X and Reveal X charts, supporting the new safety alerts feature that uses chart data to identify objects that pose a collision threat and also monitors grounding risks. This means that even if you’re zoomed out too far to see the fine details of your surroundings, you’ll still know if there’s potential danger. C-MAP charts also provide other information, including tides and current projections, auto-routing, plus quick, one-touch access to points of interest, tides, channels, and more.
I was able to test the new system while in Alicante, Spain, for the start of Leg 1 of The Ocean Race, and I was pleasantly surprised by how intuitive it was. The home screen is designed to look like the interface of a smart phone, so most people will need little instruction on how to navigate to different features or modes. I immediately saw this as useful for first-timers or when taking newbies on passage, since it’s one less system to learn and memorize from scratch.
Our trial boat happened to be packed with racing sailors who were eager to see what the racing mode looked like on a system designed for simplicity. The starting timer was of particular note to us, with both standard starting sequence lengths and GPS-timed starts that were as easy to use as the calculator app on your phone. Eeles noted that B&G can continue updating the software after the system is released, meaning that more racing or cruising features can be added going forward.
“Zeus S also integrates with the B&G App, allowing users to plan trips, review routes, and manage waypoints from home, then sync once on board,” says Kevin Steinbraker, VP and general manager, Digital Systems of Navico Group. “Sailors will love the connectivity options, with easy integration using NMEA 2000 to connect to autopilot, instruments, radar, sailing processors, audio, engines, and a wealth of other compatible products.”
The Zeus S is available in 7-, 9- and 12-inch screen sizes.
To learn more, visit bandg.com.
April 2023
