RaceSense Revolutionizes the Etchells Worlds

The 2025 Etchells World Championship has taken over Brighton, Melbourne, delivering high-stakes racing in one of the most legendary one-design classes. From January 9 to January 14, the Royal Brighton Yacht Club has been a great racing area for some of the world’s best sailors, with RaceSense playing a key role in ensuring clean, competitive, and high-precision racing.

For a fleet as tight and tactical as the Etchells, where inches can decide world titles, RaceSense has been a game-changer. No general recalls, no black flags—just pure, uninterrupted racing across nine high-intensity races. As Race Official David Ross put it:

"The RaceSense system performed well and, as many competitors commented, allowed us to get through the nine races with no general recalls or black flags. Amazing for a very competitive Etchells fleet!"

For Will Huerth, our Sales Manager, seeing RaceSense in action at the Worlds was a milestone moment:

"Watching the Etchells fleet leverage RaceSense at a World Championship is an experience I’ll never forget. These are some of the best sailors in the world, and seeing them trust and embrace our technology on such a massive stage is incredibly rewarding. Being down in Melbourne, walking the docks at Royal Brighton Yacht Club, and watching it all unfold was unreal—RaceSense brought the competition to life with unmatched precision and instant insights that kept everyone on their toes."

The journey to establish Vakaros in Australia has been a multi-year effort—one built on collaboration, persistence, and a shared vision with Harken Australia. As Will added:

"Building the Vakaros brand in Australia has been no small task, and working closely with Harken Australia has been a huge part of that journey. From countless calls to on-the-ground efforts, it’s been a grind—but seeing RaceSense power another world championship here feels like everything coming full circle. It’s moments like these that make all the hard work worth it!"

With the Etchells Pre-Worlds running from January 3 to January 5, sailors had the chance to fine-tune their setups before the main event. But once the real racing started, RaceSense delivered the kind of accuracy, fairness, and efficiency that keeps fleets pushing at the highest level.

Another world championship in the books—another proof point that RaceSense is redefining the future of competitive sailing. See you at the next one!