Melges Watersports Center Becomes First Venue to Fully Adopt RaceSense
The Melges Watersports Center is excited to partner with Vakaros for its inaugural season in Merritt Island, FL. The partnership marks the first venue to fully adopt RaceSense, setting a new standard for managing events and coaching.
The Center is the country’s newest sailing development and training venue located in the heart of Florida’s Space Coast, led by the team at Melges Performance Sailboats. Geared with the latest technology and the industry’s top athletes, the Melges Watersports Center is positioned as a world-class sailing venue and training facility.
Vakaros instruments integrate top-tier internal sensors and a high-contrast display, offering sailors data such as boat speed, heel, trim, and heading. This data will be utilized in the performance coaching and clinics using technology to analyze performance and help students collectively get better and sail faster.
“We will make top-level coaching and data available to all sailors who attend our camps and clinics and share knowledge of how the top teams are setting up to achieve the most out of their boat,” said RJ Porter, Melges Watersports Center. The data will be paired with photos, video, and on-the-water coaching to help sailors improve.
Seventeen regattas are already on the calendar for 2024-25, and they will all implement Vakaros’s RaceSense technology. RaceSense is a game-changing race management tool, effectively ending the challenges associated with general recalls, black flag starts, and protests. Competitors who do not own Vakaros units can rent units directly from the Center.
The Melges 15 Class first adopted RaceSense for its Winter Series in January 2024 with 91 boats on the starting line—the largest event for the software at the time. The E Scow Class has also invoked RaceSense for several events, including the Baird 2024 National Championship with 84 boats.
Through the collaboration, the Melges Watersports Center and Vakaros are poised to bring a new level of precision, fairness, and excitement to the sailing world, offering sailors an unparalleled experience. To learn more about the partnership and how the Center is implementing the latest technology in its clinics and regattas, visit melgeswatersports.com.
