Personal bests that matter: what to log and how to trust them
A personal best only means something if the data is credible and the conditions are known. Which PB categories to track by discipline, why VMG and manoeuvres beat bragging rights, and a short routine to log PBs after each session.
By the Waterspeed team
The fastest way to make personal bests meaningless is to treat every number as equal. On the water, wind, current, chop, tide, traffic, gear and how fresh you feel can all swing a result. A PB is useful when you can trust it and know why it happened.
Start with data you can trust
GPS sampling rate, signal quality, device placement and how the session was recorded all affect the number. A phone buried under gear may be fine for a route but unreliable for a brief peak. If one peak sits far above everything else in the session, check the track before celebrating: it may be a GPS spike. See How accurate is GPS on the water?.
Clean data beats more data: the same device, position and settings make your PB history consistent.
Separate peak speed from repeatable speed
Max speed is the headline, and it deserves a place in your log: it shows whether a setup change created real potential. But it’s also the number most shaped by a gust, a wave or a few seconds of clean water. Track it next to best averages over set times and distances (2 s, 10 s, 100 m, 500 m, 1 km): they show speed you can repeat. Waterspeed records these best speeds for every session.
PB categories that reflect real progress
Pick a mix of speed, endurance, efficiency and technique, matched to how you ride:
- Reaching or speed sailing: best 500 m speed.
- Dinghy racing: upwind and downwind leg averages, VMG.
- Foiling: longest continuous flight, foiling efficiency, flying gybes.
- Windsurf and wing: sustained speed, gybe completion and exit speed.
- Paddling: best time on a known route, distance, pace at a given heart rate.
- Everyone: total distance in a week or month.
Put VMG and manoeuvres ahead of bragging rights
A tack that loses three boat lengths can erase a speed advantage built over several minutes; a foiling gybe that touches down turns a promising run into a recovery. And you can post a higher boat speed while making worse progress toward the mark. That’s why VMG and manoeuvre quality are the personal bests that actually win races.
Context turns a PB into coaching
A number alone is exciting for ten seconds. Note what made it possible: wind strength and direction, water state, current, gear, sail or foil, and what you were working on. Then use conditions as filters, not excuses: “my best 500 m in 15–18 knots on the 6.2” is a record you can try to beat.
Log PBs after each session
- Review the session while the details are fresh.
- Check which personal bests were set, and keep only the meaningful ones.
- Add the context in a line.
- Keep a separate set of benchmark sessions. Family days, sketchy launches, crowded spots, exploration and gear tests belong in your history, not in your benchmark set.
Use trends, not just trophies
The smartest athletes look at the trend around the PB: is your typical session getting faster, are good days happening more often, are manoeuvres getting cheaper? Choose a small set of numbers tied to your current goal. During a month on starts, your key record might be approach speed while staying on time.
What to look for in an app
- Sport-specific metrics, not the same view for every session.
- Reliable recording and support for the devices you use (watch, phone, instrument).
- Personal bests by time and distance, kept automatically.
- Comparisons between sessions, spots and setups.
- One place for recording, analysis and safety, instead of a patchwork of apps.
The best PB log isn’t the biggest stack of numbers. It’s the one that answers useful questions: what changed, and can you do it again? For sharing results with others, see Watersports leaderboards.
