Successful sea trial with AnchorGuardian’s 1st customer
I think it is fair to say, the day didn’t start out so well. The weather app forecasted 30% rain with 20-30 knots of wind. Considering we wanted to film the entire sea trial both above and below the water’s surface, that didn’t bode well. When we arrived at the yacht Felis, Captain Damien Carr’s first reaction was, “it doesn’t look good”. We had waves of 1-2m and our diver was quick to remark, 90% chance of 0 visibility. “The effort of putting on the wetsuit isn’t even worth it.”
But by the time we had set up everything on board and finally motored out to our second anchoring spot (because our diver couldn’t see anything at the first), the stars decided to align, and the sun came out. As Damien commented, “It worked out really nicely! The wind conditions were great, we had 15-20 knots and beautiful clear water, and it allowed us to carry out all the sea trials that we wanted to do. We anchored the boat, had a diver in the water and working with him, we were able to manufacture some anchoring scenarios to put AnchorGuardian through some tests and get some visualization of what was happening under the water and make sure that it correlates to the data that we were seeing on the screen itself.”
Founder, Thomas Frizlen, summarized the day as follows: “After so many years
we’re finally there. We have achieved what we said we wanted to achieve,
and we have the value that we can provide to our customers. It has been a very good day.”
When people ask how long AnchorGuardian has been in development, there is no clear answer. The idea came about years ago when Thomas was sailing the Swedish archipelago as a young instructor and wondering why there wasn’t a monitor for anchors. In 2013, we gathered a group of like-minded engineer minds together and began testing beta-versions on-and-off on a voluntary basis. 2020 was the turning point where we received our first financing, and the team came together as a functioning start-up with high dreams and even higher expectations.
Our journey with Captain Damien Carr began when he was on his previous yacht, and he discovered AnchorGuardian by chance. “It was through word of mouth. Another superyacht captain introduced me to Thomas and at the time, the itinerary of my yacht made it suitable for trials. When I first spoke to Thomas and he explained what the system could do, I was immediately interested. The yacht I was on at the time had chronic anchoring issues—no matter how much chain I put down, we still dragged. That’s when I realised this technology could provide critical information that captains just don’t have right now.”
It is a question we often get asked. Why has no one come up with this before?
Captains have an assortment of instruments helping them with their daily yachting demands; GPS, depth sounders, weather sensors, radars etc., but when it comes to anchoring, they still rely very much on old-school rules of thumb. As Damien points out, “It’s shocking how little data we actually get from the anchor itself.”
As the day progressed and we were able to compare the images from the diver with the data from AnchorGuardian, it became clear of the value such innovative technology can bring to captains and crew.
Damien elaborates, “There was a moment where the boat was happily swinging at anchor, doing its natural cycle and the plotter told us our anchor was holding.
But when we looked at the AnchorGuardian statistics, it was very clear that the anchor was on the edge. The force going through the module and the angle on the anchor arm were all suggesting that if we didn’t make any changes to the anchor and the wind picked up, we were at risk of dragging. So, that was a really nice moment because it became very clear why we would want AnchorGuardian on board. It really allowed us to figure out where AnchorGuardian fits into the world.“
The technology provides real-time feedback on exactly what’s happening at the anchor. Instead of just reacting when the situation is potentially out of control, AnchorGuardian anticipates problems before they occur. It allows the captain to be proactive rather than reactive. Real time data on the forces acting on the anchor, the angle of the anchor arm, and whether or not the anchor is dragging, just to name some examples. On Felis we tested the limits of force, breaking the anchor out at 1050kg of load.
This information was important to Damien, as he said in future, he can then take corrective action early on, by putting out more chain or repositioning while conditions are still manageable, rather than waiting until the yacht is dragging towards another vessel or the rocks.
Additionally, it was information that he could use moving forward and providing him with a better understanding of his yacht.
For the great minds behind AnchorGuardian, this day was one to be remembered.
Our stoic Head of R&D, Thomas Burch, became almost emotional when describing the day, “the team worked so hard over such a long time to achieve this milestone. I am incredibly proud that we came to this point. We have achieved the requirements we defined 5 years ago. Congratulations to everyone!”
The father behind our graphical user interface, Dr. Nikolai Kronenwett, Senior Algorithms Developer, was beaming when he said, “Seeing the live data from our anchor module in action was incredible. With all the data we process, we can now watch, in real-time, how values shift over time and truly understand what’s happening down at the anchor. Before this, we had no way of knowing exactly what was going on beneath the surface. But with AnchorGuardian, we finally get a clear picture of the anchoring process. It was fascinating — watching the numbers change, seeing the system respond, and realizing the real benefits of our technology. Moments like these remind us why we do this.”
Captains who are familiar with the project often ask how it’s progressing, especially as yacht owners begin considering it. It has been a long journey, but continuous refinement and improvements from the team transformed it into a truly valuable tool. With each update, the system evolved, and now, the feedback from captains speaks for itself—this is a solution they can genuinely rely on.
As Damien relayed to us, the primary concern was never about the idea itself but rather its functionality. Captains would ask him: Does it work? Will it simplify daily operations or add complexity? Now, the answer is clear. The way the system seamlessly integrates into a yacht’s existing setup, combined with its advanced technology, sets it apart as a game-changer in anchor monitoring.
Passing the last word over to Damien: “In my opinion, AnchorGuardian will just become another evolution of the wheelhouse. The same way the internet has evolved, the GPS, the depth sounder, the radars, they have all evolved. AnchorGuardian adds something extra, it builds the picture, and it allows us captains to make better assessments in all sorts of conditions. And so, to me, this technology is evolving the anchoring side of it.”