Saildrone’s investors are taking a longer view, and that a global database of the oceans will benefit the company’s future more than chasing whatever business it can book today. “The most important asset is the data, and getting data that no one else can accumulate”. Still, Jenkins has been paired with Chief Operating Officer Sebastien de Halleux, who has a long track record of turning startups into big businesses. It’s de Halleux who convinced Jenkins that money could be made from understanding the weather. “Sebastien will keep it tethered, while Richard does his thing as a creative genius”. Saildrone plans to sell data to all comers, building a software platform that almost anyone can tap, and to go after commercial work, particularly with fisheries and logistics companies. Later this year, possibly by August, they plan to revive the goal of replicating Magellan’s voyage with a couple of saildrones. In order to make the circumnavigation official with the World Sailing Speed Record Council, the drones must start out in the Northern Hemisphere, cross every longitude line, and cross the equator twice. “We’ll fulfill all of our contracts first, and as soon as there is a boat available, we’ll set them off. It’s all about priorities, right?”

2023-03-11: Semi-autonomous ocean mapping

The Saildrone SD 1200 uncrewed surface vessel has successfully surveyed more than 45k km2 of previously unmapped ocean floor around the Aleutian Islands in Alaska and a region off the Californian coast. An Environmental Sample Processor went along for the trip too – gathering environmental DNA.

• Uncategorized