The misadventure of a skidding boat
Students at Centrale Méditerranée, Emile Raison and Louis Bridlance both love sailing. Like many yachtsmen, one day they have the unpleasant experience of a floundering mooring and a slipping anchor. Their engineer's souls lead them to come up with a technological solution to the problem. Emile details: "It was really quite unpleasant and stressful. So we then looked at what was out there. All existing attempts were linked to mobile applications or the boat's GPS. But by definition, a boat revolves around its anchor, and moves, even more so with the tide, which leads to a lot of false alerts or regular re-setting."
A buoy to position the anchor
Emile and Louis therefore concentrate on anchor movement. It's a debatable choice, because if the anchor breaks, no warning will be sent. With their fledgling company Mooring Solution, they came up with a system they named Morphée, after the man who watches over the nights in mythology.
This is a mooring buoy equipped with a positioning and communication system. The rope that connects it to the anchor, mounted on a spring, winds in and out with the tide, allowing the buoy to remain plumb with the anchor.
In the event of drift, a message is sent to a relay box on the boat, which triggers an audible alarm. As an option, an SMS message can be sent to a telephone if the crew is ashore. Installed on the foredeck, the buoy can also be used to moor to a trunk whose stability is in doubt.
The product is energy self-sufficient with its integrated solar panel.
According to its designers, the patented system has an accuracy of 2 to 3 meters, which they claim is superior to other products on the market.
Market launch in summer 2024
While details are still being finalized, Louis and Emile have launched the pre-marketing of the Morphée buoy. The first deliveries are scheduled for July 2024. The budget is substantial, at ?1,100 incl. VAT without options, or ?1,300 incl. VAT with the SMS alarm. To prove their worth, they are proposing an advance rental system for the summer of 2024, as Emile points out in conclusion: "Prospects can rent the buoy from July 1, 2024, test it and pay by the week. If they buy the buoy, they will be able to deduct the rental, and benefit in addition from the30% pre-order discount. This allows us to build up a community of testers for improvements and approach the market more gently."
