Born from a chilling reef collision in Greece, WATCHIT uses AI to ensure your day on the water doesn't end with a call to the coastguard
Lawrence Nathan, the co-founder of WATCHIT, can recall in chilling detail the moment when the boat he was a guest on crashed into a reef. He’d been invited for a couple of days’ cruising around the Greek islands on board an Azimut flybridge he’d sold to a customer. They were making their way back to Athens when the owner asked the captain to help the hostess prepare lunch. Lawrence, meanwhile, was sunbathing on the flybridge.
“I was lying on my back looking up at the sky thinking life can’t get any better, when the boat suddenly shuddered to a halt.”
Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the boat was towed back to port, but embarrassment soon turned to frustration when they realised how easily it could have been avoided.
“The information was all there but none of the systems alerted us to the danger,” says Lawrence. “Modern cars and planes have multiple warning systems to prevent accidents, so we started to investigate whether we could develop something similar for boats”.
The solution they hit upon is as elegant as it is practical. Called the WATCHIT Smart Prevention System, it uses an NMEA-compatible blackbox to take data from existing navigation aids, such as the GPS, depth sounder, AIS receiver, electronic compass and autopilot, as well as its own built-in charting software, to identify potential hazards, determine whether they pose a risk using AI-enhanced algorithms, and alert the user in time to take evasive action.
The WATCHIT Eye high frequency radar adds short-range collision avoidance
Dynamic alerts
This latter point is key, as unlike many boat warning systems, which trigger alerts based on distance, WATCHIT uses a ‘Dynamic Alert Zone’ that automatically adjusts the danger area based on speed, course and operator awareness. After all, at 200m, a static object, such as an island, presents little immediate risk to a sailing boat pottering along at 5 knots, but a jetski at the same distance travelling at 40 knots towards a sportscruiser running at 30 knots in the opposite direction is only seconds away from disaster. WATCHIT’s goal is to give at least 10 to 30 seconds’ notice of impending danger.
The other key point is that it’s an ‘always on’ system that constantly monitors all the variables but only intervenes when imminent danger looms. This could be an above-water hazard such as a ship or exposed rocks, or an underwater one like a reef or shallows that is invisible to the naked eye. Crucially, it will only flag this if it’s on a collision path. If it’s off to one side or the boat is moving away from the danger zone, it won’t sound an alert. It’s even smart enough to recognise when you’re coming into a port or marina so it doesn’t bombard you with unnecessary warnings about nearby boats.
When it does sense a serious risk, it flags this through both visual pop-ups on the boat’s existing MFD and audible warnings via its own Bluetooth speaker system. This starts with a simple beep and a calm voice describing the nature of the threat, such as “Watch it, underwater obstacle ahead” then increases in intensity until action is taken. The idea is to avoid the constant stream of minor alerts that often end up being ignored and only serve warnings when they are really needed.
The software uses AI to assess potential threats and only fl ag those that present an imminent risk
WATCHIT eye
This was, and still is, the basis of WATCHIT’s core early warning system (known internally as Sense), but a recent add-on has made it even more effective. Called WATCHIT Eye, it’s a high-frequency, short-range radar that can pick up objects as small as a human head bobbing among the waves. Light enough to mount on the A-frame of a RIB or the bow of a larger yacht, it can pick out both static and moving obstacles, as well as their speed, bearing and course. And unlike other camera-based systems, it can do this in rain, fog or light.
The reason this is such a game-changer is that the core system isn’t yet compatible with radar or night vision cameras, so smaller craft and uncharted objects won’t be picked up unless they are fitted with AIS transponders. It is something the company is hoping to add in the future, but even then it wouldn’t have the speed or sensitivity of the WATCHIT Eye.
Interestingly, it was developed in conjunction with the Azimut Benetti Group, which liked the idea of the WATCHIT system but felt it was lacking this functionality. It can now pick up anything from navigation marks to kayaks, jetskis and paddleboards, as well as larger boats and RIBs. If the operator fails to heed the warning and take evasive action, it could even be programmed to slow or stop the engines, but for the moment at least, boat builders have shied away from enabling this.
The blackbox has its own built-in charts but also takes information from the boat’s existing navigation gear
MBY Verdict
Although the core WATCHIT system is both retrofittable and compatible with all the major brands such as Raymarine, Garmin and Navico, Azimut’s role in developing the WATCHIT Eye means it has a one-year exclusivity deal on fitting this new feature to its superyachts.
Pricing for the core system starts at around €4,800, with the Eye module likely to add another €6,000 once it becomes more widely available. There’s also an annual subscription of €350 to ensure the charts and software are constantly kept updated. Given the potential WATCHIT Eye has for eliminating many of the most common boating accidents, over 80 per cent of which are caused by human error, that seems like a tempting proposition, especially on a bigger boat where the human and/or financial costs of an accident could prove crippling.
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