Trac Trac Race Tracking System

[Nick Pullen]

Hi Everyone,

I was just watching a Dan Self Sailing training video and noticed he was using a system called Trac Trac to analyse some large fleet races.  See www.tractrac.com

Trac Trac allows competitors and fans to watch the race and see individual boat courses, speeds, distances sailed and VMG.   It's not too bad on cost.  150 Euros per GPS unit with an 88 euro annual fee.  Individual sailors could purchase these and cover the costs if they want to see their track and everyone elses track who is participating.

Club organizers would need to purchase a system license at 990 euro per year.  Or maybe we as a district can group together to purchase it and allow race organizers to use it at their regattas?

I think this could be an incredible breakthrough for our District sailors if we could get everyone to adopt this system.   Being able to replay the races to see how the top sailors sailed the venue would be incredible for any competitor.   It would also help with audience engagement and future participation.  It would help to explain our sport.

What do you think?   Check out Dan Self's use of Track Track when talking about Nick Thompson's comeback race at Aarhus.   See:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsPQezOLkk0

Nick

--

Nick Pullen

Broker | REALTOR®

c 530.412.1101 

William....@Gmail.com

CA DRE#  01341126

[Walt Spevak]

We used the TracTrac system at an ILCA regatta in Spain last year.  For free.  Was fantastic for watching one's own boat (and others) at the end of the day.  I don't believe it streams live tracking.  Also, I am not sure how many people not in the race would watch it.

It's great to watch one's own track.  Was especially informative at starts and marks.

--
Discussion forum for International Laser Class Association District 24, covering northern California and Nevada. Topics should include all things Laser (ILCA) and not idle chit chat which should be taken offline from this forum. This site is rated PG.
--
To join this group, email:
international-laser-class-ass...@googlegroups.com
--
To email this group:
international-laser-clas...@googlegroups.com
--
To mute this conversation:
On web Gmail: press m
On the Gmail mobile app, select ... > Mute
--
District 24 Google calendar:
bit.ly/d24-calendar
--
District 24 website:
bit.ly/d24-home
--
View past discussions here:
bit.ly/d24-group
--
Get 10% off West Coast Sailing https://westcoastsailing.net/d24
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ILCA District 24" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to international-laser-class-asso...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAJb0jAB%2BbKS2aR2mf5H14gnH7kWgT3HmvcjCKn61o-7GuoqV%3DQ%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Walt Spevak
415-298-1173 (cell)

[laird henkel]

Sounds cool. For casual regattas (in which no one would protest someone for bringing a phone along), I assume people are familiar with Regatta Hero and similar apps: https://www.regattahero.com/index_en.html

Laird

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CABGskhGrZUWpcyGcUF18xiUjVZaYGMZ94%2Bdjzmx%3D8pw-x0r%3DmA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Spencer Koontz]

For the GPS system, It seems like having a set owned by D24 that could be brought to various events might be a more cost effective solution, since not everyone will be at every event. You could have a small portion of every race revenue go toward buying the GPS units, and build up a set over time.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CACU-PQN66R5i6OrjS4vy7qAO6yC85KRWd8y6nR8z8Sn-BFECqA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Tracy Usher]

I might counsel waiting before jumping in to spend money on any given system at the moment. 

Before I stepped down ILCA had a World Sailing mandated project to do automated OCS detection for the next Olympics. This means testing the system at all Olympic qualifying events and, bottom line, the first tests will happen this year. Automated OCS detection is not race tracking, but its obviously a key component in the sense that you would like the units doing the OCS detection to also provide tracking over the course. Turns out there are lots of technical issues just  associated in using these units to do tracking around the course so this aspect is a work in progress. 

Trac Track is a well known company and, indeed, they were the company providing the tracking software for the last Olympics. In theory they are not a hardware company and can use equipment from different vendors. For example, I believe they have announced a partnership with Velocitek (a local San Mateo company) and have said they should be able to use Vakaros as well. Note they are a commercial company, they don't do things for free. At some point someone is paying for their system at regattas, whether absorbed by the race organizers or charged directly to the sailors. But the same is true for all the proposed OCS systems as well... And, as they will all tell you, this is not a monster market - they are not going to sell millions of units, license millions of events,  etc. Their margins are just enough so they can make a living (meaning they are all pretty much doing this because they love the sport and see a place where they can make a living).

It is worth noting that Trac Trac is not alone in the tracking world, there are several other companies including one with unbellievably beautiful 3D graphics. They did the ILCA worlds in China last year, they have really pushed the standard. But, as of last November, only operating in China right now. 

Anyway, my suggestion is to sit tight before committing to hardware that might not be compliant with what the class ultimately decides to do. What I was pushing for before stepping down was that what is used in the Olympics be allowed to trickle down to all of the sailors. Theoretically, if the class adopts a system it could yield thousands of sales to the "winning" company so they could afford to make a deal for us. 

In the meantime, as mentioned in this thread, for low level events where nobody is going to protest you for carrying your phone on the water, there are many options available for tracking you on the water which can be helpful after the racing to help learn how wind and current were affecting your race. Personally, I just use strava since I use that already to record my MTB rides and hikes...

Tracy

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAO%3DPwAhN%2BtCFpFGcokU8hz1k2xdzn9LuZii5i4DYuz2vTkuUtw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Al Sargent]

Tracy — good point about this market moving fast and being careful about committing to a system too early. 

From personal experience, the whole race tracking world can be a deep rabbit hole that burns up a lot of money and time that would otherwise be better spent just getting out there and sailing. 

For personal use, Strava or maybe Waterspeed apps are options for collecting your race tracks, if you really want to do that; I have and it’s not super productive. Instead, I find that a 360 degree camera from insta360 capturing video sent to ISA the best way to improve. LMK if you want pointers on this. 

Laird, can you tell us more about regatta hero and how we might use it without speeding too much time or money? Is it a potential replacement for clubspot or regatta network?

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAOn7kXO%3DaRbFn0Cg_WUFLXHthtf%2BuxfyQRQLBU13DN3UN%3DYbtw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Doug Smith]

FWIW, This seems like very good advice and is consistent with other classes development.   For training use a phone, for high level racing, rent the tracking technology being used by the OA.

The one thing I might add is that for absolute precise ocs (and mark room calls) the vendors are introducing an additional puck on the boat giving RTK (survey) level accuracy (1 cm) -  which is the technology being used in sail GP and for the last several AC's.   This roll out is just starting and its going to be at least a couple of years until costs make sense for lasers.

I will also comment that having the technology call ocs changes the game by eliminating time wasted to General Recalls, and allowing you to know immediately that you have to restart.     To me definitely worth the cost.   

Tracking alone without video production does not seem to build spectator interest in our sport and video production is way more costly than our market will support

Cheers

Doug Smith

+1.415.601.8390

dsmit...@gmail.com

---

From: international-laser-clas...@googlegroups.com <international-laser-clas...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Tracy Usher <tracy...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 8, 2026 11:25 AM
To: Spencer Koontz <spencer...@gmail.com>
Cc: laird henkel <laird....@gmail.com>; Walt Spevak <wsp...@gmail.com>; Nick Pullen <william....@gmail.com>; International Laser Class Association District 24 <international-laser-clas...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: D24 Forum Trac Trac Race Tracking System

 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAOn7kXO%3DaRbFn0Cg_WUFLXHthtf%2BuxfyQRQLBU13DN3UN%3DYbtw%40mail.gmail.com.

[laird henkel]

In response to Al's question about Regatta Hero: I don't know anything about the regatta management features. SCYC has been experimenting with it for PHRF racing, where it makes scoring easier (it tracks when boats start and finish, and calculates scores based on ratings, etc.). But the feature that I find most interesting is the race replay, in which you can watch a video of tracklines of all the boats sailing together. Here's a demo from the Regatta Hero website: https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=sgk&passcode=288827&regatta=SGK%20Abendregatta&race=13.5.2025%2018:45:42&language=en&defaultspeed=5&loop=no (you could also watch this live during a race if you had cell coverage and a free hand to look at your phone). Initial reviews from SCYC are positive. Think of how fun it would be to see everyone's tracks at Huntington Lake!

Laird

[Nick Pullen]

Great thoughts everyone.   Look, anyone can track their own course through a phone or a vakaros but that's useless information.   Trac Trac allows all the competitors to see how the races were won by the top sailors in each race. You can see how every boat is doing at any point in the race.  That's where learning happens.  Sounds like this is way too difficult to implement in the US from lack of will.   I guarantee you that other countries/teams are not thinking this way.  They are deploying it and their sailors are getting better as a result.  Maybe Trac Trac can use other devices like Vakaros or a garmin watch?  I don't know, but it would be very informative to see your track around the course compared to the top winners.   It's not that expensive for the information that it provides.   Lets keep talking about this as I think it would really help sailors figure out a venue and get better.  

Nick

--

Nick Pullen

Founder Lake Tahoe Sailing

Head Coach Tahoe Yacht Club Race Team

[Stephen Aguilar]

A number of years back a guy at Richmond had a prototype of this type of system may have been a trac trac. He put one one my boat  emillos and I think JBs. After the regatta he downloaded the data. Very interesting to see how we sailed and finished. I think It was a great tool to use. I learned that I cover more ground then the other moving the tiller a lot. Bad habit that i fixed.  Your right if this technology is available someone is using it to move ahead. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAJb0jACoL1R%3D%3DNqum%2B1J_ZwPfvBqK9%3DKbdg2%3DkP1LtLW9hG1Ew%40mail.gmail.com.

[ricka...@gmail.com]

RaceQs is a free app.  You put your phone in a water proof bag and it will track you.  Speed, roll, pitch.  You then upload it to the event regatta and all tracks are displayed.  You can view everyone's data.  https://raceqs.com/https://raceqs.com/. Fleet RACE REPLAY for free.  

This would be a very good interim product and it's free........ worth trying.  

I have been using it on my keelboat with a couple of others at Lake Tahoe.  Works great.  

Rick

Best Regards, RICK RADUZINER | BROKER

c: 530.308.1628 o: 530.583.4004 Ri...@TahoeRick.com 970 North Lake Blvd. | Tahoe City, CA 96145 TAHOERICK.COM CA DRE 01033083 | NV S.185016

I have not, nor will I, verify or investigate the information supplied by third parties. Sierra Sotheby's International Realty, nor me, will ever ask you to wire money or provide wiring instructions. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAHrQ%3DkpZsV7e27XOSS3iVPqacwMmRqsLUFS-Ln807stycku5tA%40mail.gmail.com.

[laird henkel]

Yes, I was going to mention RaceQS. SCYC tried that as well, but ended up preferring Regatta Hero for some reason (they are very similar). 

[Al Sargent]

How do they compare in terms of battery consumption?

I used RaceQs years ago, when it first came out, and it clobbered my battery. Nothing's worse than wanting to contact your significant other to let them know when you'll be home, but you can't do so because your phone is dead...

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CACU-PQP2TJwc%3D6b%2Bb69UtxxGk%2B%3DqM-1%3DE9710Lx-gNOWKjjZFg%40mail.gmail.com.

[laird henkel]

Yes, that remains an issue.

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 10, 2026, at 5:07 PM, Al Sargent <asar...@stanfordalumni.org> wrote:



[Chris Cooke]

RaceQ seems to offer uploading a gpx file after the fact so can take that from a Garmin watch, cycle computer, vakaros, etc... 

I would be up for trying as I already track with a Garmin watch. 

Chris
c...@chris-cooke.com

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/A35BB2C9-6777-4B9C-BFD8-653F2ED931AF%40gmail.com.

[Al Sargent]

Is this another option to consider?

https://www.vantage-sailing.com/post/the-update-you-ve-been-waiting-for-vantage-2-0

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

[Jonathan Howell]

Wow. There are a lot of choices to solve this question.

For the fleet, I'm in favor of selecting a single platform that we can work with. That one thing may not be perfect, but as long as it is good enough, having a common system to share will benefit everyone.

For me, I've been using a Garmin watch to capture my outings and upload them to Strava. I've been using RaceQ on the Garmin for a bit, I have other apps as well that I like (once again, personally). I'm willing to crank up my RaceQ account again.

I'm not big on the idea of carrying my phone in my boat. I use the phone for a lot of my daily life and risking it to the elements (even in a plastic bag inside the boat) makes me nervous.

If we can afford the Trac Trac system, that sounds like a proven technology. If we want to dip our toes in without committing, perhaps one of the free solutions could be used?

Last thought: I like the idea of using something like this, along with the coaching program that was suggested, to improve my game. This should be the objective above any technology we might adopt.

Jonathan
Technical Wizardry

Dare Mighty Things

I am bicycling 80 miles to support research to eradicate Parkinson's Disease. Will you support me? 

https://give.michaeljfox.org/jonathanh

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAP8fJnzVop03mTs1iGtchaNgXy5kkLQ5%2B_s4GwHK7TuGaabi4g%40mail.gmail.com.

[Al Sargent]

Jonathan,

Similar to you, I'm not a fan of carrying my phone with me on a Laser. 

To your point about improving your game -- the best way to do that is to get an Insta360 camera, mount it on your boom just behind your vang, and submit the footage to International Sailing Academy virtual coaching for comment. It costs $30 to $50/month, but it provides excellent feedback. A coach can tell you a lot more via video analysis than by looking at your tracks. A bunch of District 24 sailors, including Toshi, Chris S.,  Chris Cooke, Walt, Andron, Tracy, Andrew Holdsworth, Jenny Maybee, Sanjai, Julian, and I have found their coaching to be excellent. LMK if you have any questions. 

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

[Nick Pullen]

Had a chance to compare Trac Trac to Vantage.

Vantage seems like it's more of a personal training tool and seems a little clunky.  You upload data at the end of the day from your GPS device, A garmin watch or a Vakaros to analyse data.  I don't know what it costs but its just a phone app so probably not much.  Sailors need to coordinate to share each other's tracks in order to compare.   You can only compare 8 tracks at a time.  To me it seems too clunky and time consuming to get any meaningful adoption.  It seems complicated.

Trac Trac does allow for a live broadcast to show the tracks of all the competitors and can be replayed.  The competitors don't have to do anything except install the tracking device and watch the replay at the end of the day so it seems like its easier to use at least for the competitors.

Nick

On Tue, Feb 10, 2026 at 5:49 PM Al Sargent <asar...@stanfordalumni.org> wrote:

[Al Sargent]

Alright, here's yet another app I just learned about: SailSync.ai. Swifto (aka Luke Elliot), a well-known Australian coach and 10-year member of the Aussie Laser team that produced the last four gold medalists, recommends it. Feel free to dig in. 

https://sailsync.ai/

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

[Mehmet Gunay]

The international 14 fleet has a fleet subscription to sailsync. It is a good option for uploading data from personal devices (vakaros, garmin etc) There is also the local (san mateo based) chartedsails that just released live tracking functionality. 

--

Mehmet C. Gunay

814.441.7847

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAP8fJnyDkoXLNCJJS6nEMnE%3D1zDkBbWiLGtFaJr3anDVEC1gxA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Al Sargent]

This is a very crowded space; here's a list of all the various tools that can be used to track and analyze sailboat races — any missing?

• ChartedSails: https://www.chartedsails.com/
• Sailsync: https://sailsync.ai/
• TracTrac: https://www.tractrac.com/
• Vantage Sailing: https://www.vantage-sailing.com/
• Regatta Hero: https://www.regattahero.com/
• RaceQs: https://raceqs.com/
• Waterspeed: https://www.waterspeedapp.com/
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/
• Rosenberg Analytics (not a tool but a data analytics company): https://www.rosenberganalytics.com/

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

[Mehmet Gunay]

sailnjord and ktool

--

Mehmet C. Gunay

814.441.7847

On Fri, Feb 13 2026 at 9:58 PM, Al Sargent <asar...@stanfordalumni.org> wrote:

This is a very crowded space; here's a list of all the various tools that can be used to track and analyze sailboat races — any missing?

• ChartedSails: https://www.chartedsails.com/
• Sailsync: https://sailsync.ai/
• TracTrac: https://www.tractrac.com/
• Vantage Sailing: https://www.vantage-sailing.com/
• Regatta Hero: https://www.regattahero.com/
• RaceQs: https://raceqs.com/
• Waterspeed: https://www.waterspeedapp.com/
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/
• Rosenberg Analytics (not a tool but a data analytics company): https://www.rosenberganalytics.com/

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

On Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 1:09 AM Mehmet Gunay <mgu...@gmail.com> wrote:

The international 14 fleet has a fleet subscription to sailsync. It is a good option for uploading data from personal devices (vakaros, garmin etc) There is also the local (san mateo based) chartedsails that just released live tracking functionality. 

[Jonathan Howell]

I was able to find SailNjord: https://www.sailnjord.com/

Quick take; it's aimed broadly at the performance sailing market (think SailGP, TP52, Maxi72, etc) but lists dinghies among its supported boats. The pricing seems reasonable at $12-15 per race day (you don't pay when you don't race). It relies on external data sources - Garmin, Trac Trac, or most anything that can upload TCX or FIT files - which is a barrier Nick brought up.

Mehmet, do you have a link for "ktool"?

Jonathan
Technical Wizardry

Dare Mighty Things

I am bicycling 80 miles to support research to eradicate Parkinson's Disease. Will you support me? 

https://give.michaeljfox.org/jonathanh

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/mlldgy6p.42604f99-7d04-4d7f-bcbf-0039d5d982da%40we.are.development-superhuman.com.

[Al Sargent]

Jonathan,

Thanks for that summary. Here's my revised list; Ktool is on here. 

• ChartedSails:  https://www.chartedsails.com/
• Sailsync:  https://sailsync.ai/ -- Swifto's choice.

• TracTrac: https://www.tractrac.com/
• Vantage Sailing:  https://www.vantage-sailing.com/
• Regatta Hero:  https://www.regattahero.com/
• RaceQs:  https://raceqs.com/
• Waterspeed:  https://www.waterspeedapp.com/
• Strava:  https://www.strava.com/

• sailnjord: https://www.sailnjord.com/
• ktool: https://ktool.hu/

• Rosenberg Analytics (not a tool but a data analytics company): https://www.rosenberganalytics.com/

Best regards,
 
Al

asar...@stanfordalumni.org | +1 650 269 2176

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAPT-Q%2B6s7KK3jC6mS1fcOwhq%3DRLHfLLMzggqTfjjSH56kXsedw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Jim Alexander]

Hi D24, 

I agree that tracking our races for learning is an excellent goal. Thanks for all your time. Al's list of 11 platforms blows my mind but I hope someone else can handle it. 

I have a few thoughts that I hope are constructive and useful, but perhaps a bit dry. 

Basic GPS is inaccurate, even with Apple's (and Garmin's) high-accuracy settings. Strava on an iPhone can be off by 3-15 feet from second to second. The result is "odd" jumps in speed and wiggly traces.

I think a big factor is our degree of accuracy, given our goals. Plus, we should be financially accessible because ILCA are the most reasonably priced, kick ass boats with solid fleets nearby. 

I would pay 150 for a tracker strapped to my mast. This is a much more accurate mechanism than a watch that shifts 10 feet laterally from tack to tack. I would rather not strap my 400$ iphone-12 to my mast - but I would if this is what the gang concludes. 

Some tiresome details: 

I started using strava on my phone to track my runs on trails and the GPS traces were a jittery mess. Then I bought an iWatch and the apple-fitness traces were just as wiggly as strava. So I bought a Garmin and the traces were much better, but still jittery. My wife loves the iWatch and my Garmin is perfect for my goals (approximate heart rate, distance & elevation gain). 

Many factors are possible. Strava and Apple-fitness all do auto-correction to smooth out traces and compensate for a bouncing running gate. Garmin has a different smoothing & correction algorithm. This creates all kinds of inaccuracies in distance covered and elevation. For sailing, elevation is hopefully not a thing but it's an example of GPS's problems. 

I hope this is useful for picking a technology / platform. 

- Jim

[Nick Pullen]

Hi Jim,

That's great input.  I hadn't thought about GPS accuracy / inconsistencies.   So when considering a platform we need to think about:

1) Overall cost of fleet adoption.

2) Have standardized trackers or a variety of currently owned devices or both?  That's the accuracy versus non accurate individual GPS units issue.

3) Easy of use.  Do sailors have to upload files after the race at the end of the day or can the data be logged and captured real time by a coach on the water?

4) Broadcast of live tracking.  Could this help with participation/ awareness? 

From a coaching/learning perspective, I think it would be incredibly valuable to see live tracking and be able to share examples of correct / incorrect decisions after a race while on the water.  So I'm for ease of use over accuracy.  This would necessitate that everyone uses either an iphone or a specific tracker that works with the platform for the cellular capture of GPS data.

The biggest cost drivers are the individual trackers not so much the platform.

I'm still convinced that this kind of tech could really help new and veteran sailors figure out the bewildering number of decisions they have to make when they first start racing and keep them engaged.  We have to think about that too.  How many people do we lose because they can't figure out the tactics / strategy?   

I'm for trying out something that is low cost/low risk and reports in real time with no uploading at the end of the day.

Nick

[Robert Smith]

Hi All,

This system is going to be used in the ILCA 7 worlds… according to Maru Urban..

For what it’s worth…

Bob

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 16, 2026, at 11:33 AM, Nick Pullen <william....@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAJb0jACnLo%3DEnD7a-j6jpkXYQKBv%2BD4%3D_UjZOG%3DVhOGgkv1v0Q%40mail.gmail.com.

[Tracy Usher]

Yes, that is correct but note this is just for the Senior Men's and Senior Women's Worlds. Look for this also to get used in Palma and the World Cup events this year. The primary aim of these units is not for tracking on the course but for OCS detection (see the amended NOR for the Men at https://2026ilca7men.ilca-worlds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2026/02/NOR-2026-ILCA-7M-IRL-Amend-2.pdf). 

It remains to be determined what the class will decide going forward... but one would have to believe that the above move means momentum is growing in this direction. We'll see!

Tracy

[Nick Pullen]

Great find Robert,

We use the Atlas 2 on the Melges and I've done 2 events now with Race Sense and its awesome.   Everyone's clock is synced and you know immediately if you are over the line so no more hiding in groups and letting unfair starts go.  It should reduce general recalls as no one can hide if you are over.   It is a spendy piece of kit though at $1,200.   It seems like Vakaros is becoming the standard across many fleets because of Race Sense.

Currently the Vakaros does not communicate with any live tracking platform so if you want to compare tracks, sailors will need to upload their files at the end of the day.

I did speak with the guys at Charted Sails and they said there may be a way to do an integration with Vakaros for live tracking.

Rick Raduziners suggestion of using the free RaceQs app is honestly the best option but for some reason their app is no longer available on the App Store.  Out of all the apps I've looked at RaceQs seems like it has the best presentation and analytical features.   You can declutter the tracks and compare your boat's track to the winning boat's track.  You can zero in on the upwind leg or downwind leg.  But unfortunately it no longer seems available.

Nick

On Tue, Feb 24, 2026 at 12:22 PM Robert Smith <robert.s...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Jim Alexander]

Hi D24, 

I've been holding back my comments but I hope we can refocus our goals. I think most of us are looking for a learning and coaching tool - something simple and cheap - not a Ferrari or something to run the Worlds next year. 

I would spend $150 for something I velcro to the mast and forget about until I look at everyone's traces on a laptop - with a fine beverage and friends talking about strategy, wind shifts, etc. I would not spend 1200 on a tracker. At 150 a pop, we could chip in and buy a few extra devices for folks from out of town or other needs. The more boats with trackers, the better. 

Cheap GPS systems are inaccurate, +/- 3-10 feet or worse. I use Garmin and Apple devices - they record artfully squiggly traces. I love my Garmin 255 but accuracy is not its strength. 

Which of the 11 manufacturers offer systems that cost about $150 per boat? Or maybe 180 or 200 ?

- Jim

[Julian Soto]

What are the main features that we are looking for? 

Julian Soto

Mind Body Boat

(424) 298 1110

Email: mindbo...@gmail.com

Website: Click here

--

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/international-laser-class-association-district-24/CAFnC_0qpGAc%2B2-4bSTo7PX41vFwkfX578qM1XmzY8zQYL%2Bvqyw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Nick Pullen]

I think we are looking for the following in order of priority:

1) Low Cost for adoption. (RaceQs, but they seem to be phasing out.  Their app is no longer in the app store)

2) Ability to connect multiple devices:  Vakaros, Garmin, iphone or a custom tracker. (All of the platforms can accommodate this)

3) Ease of use. It would be great to not require people to upload their tracks.  This is tough as most GPS devices require a manual export of the file and then to upload it.  Iphones and Garmin can connect with Charted Sails for real time data so no uploading after you get back onshore.  I think this is key for adoption otherwise people won't do it.  I don't know about you but I would rather have bowel surgery in a wood with a stick rather than having to do computer work after a race.

Charted Sails revenue model is based on "Fleets" or group size.  $500 annually for 6 boats.  $1,000 for 12 boats.   So you can only create groups of 6 or 12.  The individual app is free but the fleet license where you can compare tracks is where they make their bones.

Nick

[Jonathan Howell]

For reference, here is how the Regatta Hero app recorded the recent RYC Big Daddy Pursuit Race on Sunday:

https://www.regattahero.com/mapviewer/?organisation=ryc&passcode=315877&regatta=RYC%20
Big%20Daddy%20Pursuit&race=8.3.2026%2014:00:02&language=en

Jonathan
Technical Wizardry

Dare Mighty Things

I am bicycling 80 miles to support research to eradicate Parkinson's Disease. Will you support me? 

https://give.michaeljfox.org/jonathanh

[Chris Cooke]

They are using TracTrac for the UK national opens now - here is an example from this weekend https://www.tractrac.com/event-page/event_20260210_ILCAUKNati/3451

C

--

Chris
c...@chris-cooke.com