Garmin is a proud supporter of the Global Ocean Race 2011-2012 - a race that spans the globe, covering 30,000 nautical miles. The race started in Mallorca, Spain, stops in Cape Town, South Africa; Wellington, New Zealand; Punta del Este, Uruguay, and Charleston, South Carolina (USA), before finishing the final leg in Les Sables d'Olonne, France, in May of 2012. Recently, as the race came through Cape Town, South Africa, they had a chance to stop and chat with the Garmin South Africa team about the equipment found on the race fleet. As you can see in this video, Mike, from our South African office, explains how the fleets use a number of Garmin marine electronics on board, including the GPSMAP 720 touchscreen chartplotters. These 7-inch plotters accept radar input and offer full NMEA 2000 connectivity for great convenience when adding extra sensors, too. In addition, other race fleet vessels are equipped with an AIS 600 and VHF 100, which allows information to be shared between vessels for improved safety on the water.

"Supporting the Global Ocean Race allows Garmin to get closer to competitors who take product into very challenging environments," Mike said. "It excites us that these sailors will be spending a lot of time with these products, and can provide us feedback at the end of the race, and even along the way."

To learn more about this equipment and Garmin's involvement with the Global Ocean race, check out this video from their stop in South Africa.