Sailing app for keelboats: speed, race starts and crew analysis from the cockpit
On a keelboat a phone or tablet in the cockpit is enough: boat speed for the helm, a race countdown, live tracking for people ashore, and tack and VMG analysis for the crew after the race.
By the Waterspeed team
On a keelboat the phone can stay in the cockpit, so you don’t need a watch: mount a phone or tablet where the helm and trimmer can see it and use it as a speed display, race countdown and GPS logger. After the race, the whole crew can look at the tacks, speeds and angles in one place. Waterspeed runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, and imports sessions from a Vakaros Atlas or a Garmin watch if you have one.
What does a keelboat crew need on the water?
| What you need | How Waterspeed does it |
|---|---|
| Boat speed the helm can read | Speedometer view on iPhone; tap the speed to choose instant speed or the average of the last 30 seconds (steadier in waves) |
| Race start | Countdown with alerts at 4 min, 1 min, 30 s and the last 10 s; Sync + / Sync - to match the committee; recording starts automatically at the end of the countdown (Pro) |
| People ashore know where you are | Live tracking: one link, the same every time, follows the boat in real time |
| Don’t lose the race if the phone dies | Points are saved as you go; after a crash or a flat battery the track is recovered |
| Wind before you leave | Wind, weather and tide forecast (Pro) |
The help centre documents the speedometer view and the 30-second average for iPhone only.
What can the crew see after the race?
- Every tack and gybe appears on the map and in a list, with entry and exit speed, the angle, and whether it was missed. Ultra adds speed loss, VMG loss and a quality rating per tack. See Tacks and gybes and why your tacks cost more speed than you think.
- Best speeds over 10 seconds, 500 metres, a nautical mile and an hour build up race after race. See Best speeds.
- With Ultra, VMG, true wind angle, upwind and downwind legs, port and starboard, and your own polar chart show which beat was best and at what angle. The polar is built from your own GPS track and the session’s wind, not from a class polar. See VMG and true wind angle and what is VMG.
- To share with the crew, send a public link to the session that anyone can open in a browser for 30 days without the app (Pro), or export GPX or CSV for your own analysis (Pro).
- A private crew group lets everyone in it see each other’s activities and maps and compare stats.
How do you set it up in the cockpit?
- Mount the phone or tablet in a waterproof case where the helm can see it, out of direct sun if you can. Apple notes that an iPhone or iPad that gets too hot can dim or turn off its display and slow or stop charging (Apple Support).
- On long races, plug into the boat’s USB or carry a battery pack, because continuous GPS use drains the battery quickly.
- Use the speedometer screen upwind and the map downwind and on the run to the mark.
- Set the sport to Sailing before you start, so tacks and speeds are calculated for sailing.
- Turn on live tracking if anyone ashore is following.
Already have instruments?
- Vakaros Atlas: keep it as the on-board display, then import its VKX file into Waterspeed after the race, from the web app or the Android app. The session then syncs to the mobile app. See Vakaros.
- Garmin watch: Waterspeed automatically imports watersport activities from Garmin Connect, recorded with the Waterspeed Connect IQ app or with Garmin’s own activities. Syncing is free. See Garmin.
What Waterspeed is not
Waterspeed shows your track on a standard map. It is not a chartplotter or a navigation app, and the help centre describes no nautical charts, depths or AIS. Keep using your plotter or a navigation app for those.
FAQ
Can I use an iPad?
Yes. Waterspeed runs on iPad, and Waterspeed Cloud syncs your diary between iPad and iPhone (Pro). Wi-Fi-only iPad models have no GPS. For those, the help centre says Waterspeed can use an external GPS receiver that works with iOS.
Does it work offline at sea?
Yes. Recording uses the device’s GPS and needs no data connection. The help centre even suggests Flight mode if you see big errors when recording on an Apple Watch alone. Live tracking needs a connection, and sessions upload to the cloud when you are back online with the app open.
Is it free?
Recording and basic stats are free. The race countdown, forecasts, public sharing links and export need Pro. VMG, legs and the polar chart need Ultra.
Do I need a watch?
No. On a keelboat the phone in the cockpit is enough. A watch helps on boats where you can’t keep a phone in view.
Related: How to start a sailing race, Apple Watch or Garmin for sailing, Best sailing GPS apps
