THE BOAT THAT DOCKS ITSELF

Simrad's new AutoCaptain isn't just a berthing aid, it can do the whole manoeuvre for you, from spotting an empty space to holding it against the dock while you tie up.

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A boat that berths itself has long been the dream of everyone from nervous owners to enthusiastic sales people, but despite repeated efforts from some of the industry's biggest players, bringing a viable system to market has proved frustratingly elusive.

Now at last, Simrad claims to have cracked it with its new AutoCaptain Autonomous Boating System.

If that sounds like a mouthful, using it is disarmingly simple. All you do is switch on the dedicated app on your Simrad MFD, select which berth you'd like to dock in, press the Autodocking button and sit back while it manoeuvres you gently into place. If that's not enough, it can also leave a berth (Undocking) and manoeuvre you out of a tight spot such as a lock entrance or fuel berth queue (Move to Position). And like the Martini ads of old, it can be used 'any time, any place, anywhere'.