Octopus provides tools to make your navigation easier. One of them is the « Route on the opposite tack ». Let’s see how it works.
To activate this function, right click on the boat nose. Select « boat » and « Route on opposite tack ».
This function activates a second course ( in addition to SOG), simulating the boat’s heading after a change of tack.
To determine the course on the opposite tack, Octopus compares the boat’s angle with the wind and transfers it on the other side of the route.
Octopus answers the question: what will my course be if I navigate at the same speed on the opposite tack ?
On the example below, the navigator needs to know when to gybe in order to reach his southwest waypoint while avoiding the dangerous shore.
There, we easily see it is too early to gybe if we want to navigate at the same pace on the opposite tack. The dotted line, making an angle with the boat (the course on the opposite tack), meets the shore. We would have to gybe a few times to reach the waypoint.
A little further, the route on the opposite tack shows a gybe will be soon possible to reach the waypoint in one tack. The crew can get ready for the maneuver.
For additional questions, please consult the F.A.Q