Real-time, high-resolution forward-looking sonar (FLS) provides an unparalleled tool for a superyacht. Any vessel navigating in poorly chartered areas, Polar regions or through debris fields is significantly disadvantaged without some form of FLS system.

There have been various iterations of sonar systems available on the wider market for a generation, but few could provide the level of detail that would inspire real confidence from a watchkeeper. The main drawbacks of these early generations of the technology were a lack of resolution and range. When using a sonar system that was limited by these factors, a vessel is forced to move cautiously, despite the read-outs ostensibly displaying the foreground of the vessel.

The technology has come a long way since its inception, as has the number of yachts venturing further afield and into less chartered waters. As any watchkeeper can attest after cruising the Pacific or Polar regions, many of the charts that support these voyages are outdated and inaccurate. Safe and environmentally conscious anchoring requires a detailed understanding of the depths and composition of the sea floor – details that were, in many cases, at best implied by limited and analogue data inputs.

Although FLS systems have been a more common feature for offshore supply, exploration cruising and naval applications, the superyacht…