Testimony of Gwenolé Gahinet about Squid

1. Since when do you navigate with Squid?

G.G. : I discovered Squid in 2013, during the Mini Transat Race that I’ve prepared in Proto. I liked it immediately, the software was in its first version. It since evolved much and one feels the constant evolution produced by the team Great Circle which unceasingly makes advance Squid. New functions are always very exciting! And it is true that it is a complete software. During the preparation of a race it is very effective to me, because it includes all the necessary information to prepare navigation.

2. How do you use this software?

G.G. : Concretely it is mainly before the races loading all the useful files: The waves’ files or currents, the synoptic maps/CHARTS, or the satellites images that I use more and more. Those I use a lot too are GFS or global models.

3. To know how to use Squid so well, how did you learn?

G.G. : I did two classes with Bernard Sacré (Meteorologist of Great Circle) who came on Lorient in conference with Lorient Grand Large. Then I learnt according to my experiences. For example on the trophy Jules Verne we used a lot of satellite pictures, which I had never used overseas since then. It is really interesting because we see the the position of the boat on the map in Squid, then we create an animation while moving the pictures. Suddenly we see the evolution of the cloudy masses that are in front of us. That allows us to compare the forecast with the reality.

4. What is the main asset of Squid through your experience with this software?

G.G. : Without hesitating I would say Best Start, it is a strong and powerful function which allows us to make around thirty routing, with a departure every two hours. It determines the best moment to leave and to find out the best weather conditions to make a good departure, and the shortest route. It helps to have an idea to determine the best window of departure.

5. What did Squid bring to your navigation?

G.G. : For the download of files, between the compression and the precision of files we really reach interesting things. The global files are accessible with squid analysis. That allows us to see in a synthetic way the trend on given durations.

6. What marked you in your use?

G.G. : Since I compete in ocean racing, I’ve navigated with Squid that I saw truly evolve. It is for me an essential tool for my navigation.