Vakaros RaceSense Technology
The 2025 North American Championship served as a second test using the Vakaros RaceSense Automated Race Management System. Both our first (2025 Winter Championship in St Pete) and second tests were provided to competitors at no extra cost and only utilized the timer and Red/Green notification at that start. After the start the compass displayed just compass heading and timer (counting up during the race).
To be transparent in this process there would be costs involved to each boat if we were to move forward in formally amending the Class Rules to allow for this type of technology use. The unit that most have been using is the Vakaros Atlas Edge and that retails at $749.00 USD. Compass mounting brackets cost between $85 and $140. A protective case is $49.
In addition, users would be required to purchase an Annual or Monthly pass. An Annual RaceSense pass ($149.00) allows you to participate in unlimited days of sailing using RaceSense throughout a 365-day period, beginning on your date of purchase. RaceSense Annual Passes must be registered to one Atlas device. Passes may not be transferred between devices, but devices may be transferred between owners. A monthly pass costs ($50.00). The units and passes can be used across multiple classes at no additional cost. If a competitor did not own a device, we would have rental units on hand for an estimated cost of about $35/day.
Again, to be transparent these devices offer an easy-to-read compass display and starting timers in Class Compliant mode. We have been testing the OCS calls and Live Tracking. In addition, the unit offers the ability to analyze additional boat data while practicing such as heel angle and speed. This data display is not allowed under current rules when racing. Additionally, the Atlas 2 ($1,199.00) compass can offer Distance To Line (DTL) display during the starting sequence. Again, this data is not currently allowed under Class Rules.