AI verses paper charts

Peter, a recently retired director, from the international removal industry is fulfilling his lifelong dream of circumnavigating the British Isles. With years of teaching both shore based and practical courses, he has a deep respect for traditional navigation as it has not failed him yet. Whether popping up the coast to Lowestoft or across the Atlantic, Pete plans his course using time-honoured methods, relying on paper charts, compass bearings, and his seasoned intuition. For him, this trip will be no different.

Jen brings a modern twist to the journey. Her passion for digital innovation drives her to integrate artificial intelligence into the voyage, assisting in planning and navigation through AI tools and simulations. Jen has taken a three month career break to join this adventure and see whether AI can be trained to circumnavigate Britain on a yacht. What people forget is that AI has been here a while.

One of the standout sailing moments in 2014 was seeing INEOS Team UK rise to become the official challenger to Emirates Team New Zealand, a fierce showdown for the oldest trophy in sport, the America’s Cup. But behind the spectacle on the water lay a story that few spectators knew: a story of algorithms, simulations, and a bold leap into the future of racing.

While many teams stuck to traditional methods, Emirates Team New Zealand quietly embraced artificial intelligence as a secret weapon. Using reinforcement learning, the same kind of machine learning used in cutting-edge robotics, they developed AI bots capable of running endless race simulations. These digital sailors practiced every manoeuvre, every tactical move, identifying weaknesses in performance that human eyes might miss. If the team was losing time in tight turns or faltering during the critical pre-start, the AI spotted it, and helped them fix it.

But the innovation didn’t stop there. By harnessing powerful simulation tools, the team dramatically sped up their design process. What once took weeks of modeling and testing in physical tanks could now be iterated virtually in hours. Foils, hull shapes, sail configurations - all refined with mathematical precision.

And for every hour the sailors spent out on the water, they matched it with an hour inside the simulator. Fed by real-time weather data and predictive analytics, these sessions were more than practice - they were preparation for every possible scenario the ocean could throw at them. In this new age of sailing, muscle and instinct met data and code.

In the end, Emirates Team New Zealand didn’t just sail faster - they sailed smarter. Their victory wasn’t just a triumph of seamanship, but a bold statement: the future of competitive sailing belongs to those who embrace technology as tightly as the wind in their sails.

AI is beginning to play a transformative role in cruising and recreational sailing, enhancing both safety and convenience for sailors.

While it's not yet a substitute for seamanship, here are some of the areas we hope to review and compare with traditional approaches whilst circumnavigating Britain:

🧭 1. Passage Planning and Routing

AI can analyze vast amounts of data - wind patterns, currents, weather forecasts, tides, and even historical data - to generate optimal sailing routes. Tools like PredictWind, Savvy Navvy, and OpenCPN plugins use AI or machine learning to:

Suggest the fastest or safest route
Recommend ideal departure times
Alert for hazardous weather windows

Instead of plotting by hand, sailors can get near-instant multi-day routing with AI factoring in real-time conditions. So far Pete's' passage plan was far better that Chat GPT. As Chat bots learn, Jen anticipates that their passage plans will become more accurate and sophisticated as knowledge increases and errors are pointed out.

🌦️ 2. Weather Forecasting and Risk Assessment

Advanced AI systems provide hyper-local, time-sensitive forecasts by analyzing satellite imagery, meteorological models, and historical data. Some systems even learn your vessel's performance profile to predict how your specific boat will behave under certain conditions.

AI can notify cruisers of sudden squalls or advise delaying departure due to upcoming gale-force winds.

🛠️ 3. Maintenance and Systems Monitoring

On modern cruisers, AI-powered systems monitor engine health, battery status, bilge activity, fuel usage, and more. These systems can predict maintenance needs before issues become serious, known as predictive maintenance.

AI might detect unusual engine vibration patterns and suggest a service before a failure at sea. Rimau will not be fitted with any such technology, however other sailors may be able to review this feature and offer more insight for the blog.

⚓ 4. Autonomous Navigation & Collision Avoidance

While true "autopilot AI" is still emerging, systems like Orca, Raymarine DockSense, or SEA.AI (formerly Oscar) use computer vision and machine learning to:

Detect and classify obstacles
Avoid collisions
Assist with autonomous docking

Both Jen and Pete have been using AIS for years. What is exciting is that some systems can alert you to a floating log or poorly lit vessel at night, things radar might miss. I wonder if they can detect lobster pots too.

📡 5. Smart Logbooks and Crew Safety

AI-enhanced sailing apps can automatically log your journey, noting wind speed, heel angle, GPS location, and sail configuration. Combined with wearable crew trackers, AI can:

Monitor for man-overboard events
Alert if crew haven’t moved in a while
Help optimize sail trim and crew shifts

👩‍💻 6. Training and Education

AI is being used in simulators to help train sailors in realistic conditions, much like pilots. AI can also create custom route-planning exercises or maritime quizzes based on a sailor’s knowledge gaps.

Whilst Pete and Jen have no intention of paying thousands of pounds for new systems, they do hope to embrace the new wave of Chat bots and technology throughout the trip. Pete does not trust AI one bit so he will be double checking every calculation by hand. Who will win ... follow us to find out more.