Spectra Geospatial SP90m GNSS Receiver chosen for single-handed artound-the-world yatch race

The Spectra Geospatial SP90m GNSS receiver has been selected by the racing yacht Maître CoQ for the 2020 Vendée Globe, single-handed, non- stop around-the-world yacht race. The Vendée Globe is an extreme endurance test for both sailor and boat and widely considered the ultimate challenge in ocean racing.

The SP90m provides the skipper of the Maître CoQ, Yannick Bestaven with precise position and boat heading information. The SP90m information is integrated to a separate attitude
information source, and the entire package of the position, heading and attitude is sent to the boat’s autopilot. Bestaven, responding to the changing sea and wind conditions, trategically adjusts the autopilot to keep the boat moving at top speed to the desired destination as he changes and trims sails and trims foils to achieve maximum sailing efficiency.

The Maître CoQ is an advanced design mono-hull foiling sailing yacht in the category of IMOCA (International Monohull Offshore Class Association) which have a fixed length of 18.28 m (60 feet), Antoine Connan, head of engineering for the Maître Coq racing team, selected the SP90m. The hostile environment and requirements for precise position information at sea far from land made the selection of the SP90m an important technical choice. It always delivers an accurate position and precise heading with no GNSS corrections. Commenting on the performance of the SP90m in the recent July, 2020- 2800 mile qualifying race, the Vendée- Arctique-Les Sables D’Olonne, Connan reports “We are already very happy with its installation on board."

The SP90m is a rugged design ideal for marine environments. With 480-channel tracking and dual GNSS antenna inputs, the SP90m is an integrated onboard rover receiver offering
minimal size and low power consumption.

When the Maître CoQ technical team, based in La Rochelle, decided they needed to upgrade the boat’s navigation system, they contacted Cadden, a recognized specialist in supplying advanced electronic precision measurement sensors. In addition to the requirement for delivering fast, precise position and heading data, the new senor had to be light-in-weight, small, require little power, be easy to integrate, and flawlessly withstand a hostile saltwater environment. Cadden’s analysis concluded the Spectra Geospatial SP90m fit the spec perfectly.

Olivier Casabianca, Vice President Spectra Geospatial said, “We are thrilled that the Maître CoQ racing team selected the Spectra Geospatial SP90m. It’s one more confirmation that Spectra Geospatial provides truly the highest quality rugged and precise GNSS receivers.“

About the Vendée Globe 2020
Held every four years, the Vendée Globe is a single-handed (solo) non-stop yacht race around the world without assistance. It starts and finishes in Les Sables-d’Olonne in the Département of Vendée in France. This year’s Vendée Globe 2020 will start on November 8 and is expected to finish in late January or early February. The course is a circumnavigation
from Les Sables- d’Olonne, that heads south in the Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope, then east in the Southern Ocean clockwise around Antarctica, keeping Australia’s Cape Leeuwin and South America’s Cape Horn to port (to the left); and then back north in the Atlantic returning to finish in Les Sables-d’Olonne.

About Cadden  
Headquartered in Nantes, Cadden specializes in the sale of electronic precision measurement sensors for a wide variety of positioning, orientation and navigation applications. Founded in 1999, the company is recognized for the care it takes in analyzing the needs of its customers and providing the most up-to-date solutions.

About Spectra Geospatial
Spectra Geospatial is an established brand known for delivering quality products to the survey, GIS and construction markets. Focusing on the specific needs of the conventional surveying market, the Spectra Geospatial brand offers a complete product portfolio, including Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), optical total stations, data collection hardware, field and office software, as well as a wide range of construction tools. Spectra Geospatial surveying equipment is an economical choice that utilizes advanced
technologies for optimal efficiency. With convenience and reliability as the foundation of the Spectra Geospatial brand, it is an ideal choice for value. The Spectra Geospatial brand is
backed with the strong technical support that users have come to expect from a quality name in surveying and construction

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