BoatLogger.com enables free live race tracking for any race

Race tracking today
For high-profile races, like the Olympics and Volvo Ocean Race, we have got used to sitting in front of our screens and being able to follow live as the yachts battle it out. It does wonders for the interest in the competition and sailing in general. However, a lot of race organisers have limited budgets plus serious time constraints. Live tracking is therefore out of reach and a lot of the fun and interest for the public is lost – until now.

The BoatLogger tracking concept
A key requirement behind BoatLogger is low cost for both the organiser and the boat. Therefore, the live positions have to be collected and sent ashore with already available technology. The easiest is to use smartphone BoatLogger apps which can be downloaded for free from Play Store or iTunes.

While GPS position logging on phones works accurately even when far from ashore and beyond cell coverage, positions will not be sent ashore until close to the coast again. For offshore races that means that the ‘live’ is tainted. Therefore BoatLogger also supports feeds from SPOT and deLorme inReach satellite loggers. For yachts that have these installed we get live tracking also during all offshore passages.

Race organisation
Organising a yacht race is much more than just tracking the boats. It starts with handling registration, payments, posting rules, informing about the race course, handling position updates, managing handicaps etc. BoatLogger handles all of this data management in a fully interactive way, right down to the sharing of photos and race blogs from competitors.

Traditional BoatLogger yacht pages
To better understand how this is done, let’s first look at where BoatLogger comes from. It started as a flexible logbook for any boat – mainly for cruising sailors. Each yacht gets a customisable home page where they can choose to show photos, guest books, weather forecasts, maintenance records, Facebook feeds and much more. All this information comes in small windows called datapanes where the data gets populated automatically. One important datapane is the logbook, where live data is sent from the yacht to the logbook to create a complete record of any journey.

BoatLogger race pages
Following the concept of the traditional BoatLogger yacht pages, the new Race pages are now introduced. Each race gets its complete site. This site can be customised to show any information about the race. Several new datapanes are made to cater particularly for yacht races. Examples of new datapanes are sign up, race course definition, live tracking, result table etc.

Status today
When you read this the Race pages are just being launched. The basic functionality is there and we are just ironing out the last bugs. It is not yet ready to use for a large-scale commercial race, but for smaller regional events there should be nothing holding you back from using it this sailing season! While the automatic tracking and race playback can always be used, we are not yet supporting all competition types when it comes to automating the result tables. Domestic fleet races with handicap factors are supported, but for example match racing is still under development.

Open concept
From the ground up, BoatLogger is an open concept. It supports any kind of loggers and an API (Application Programming Interface) is provided for any developer to integrate smartphone apps, yacht electronics or anything else directly to the site. You can also embed parts of the BoatLogger site in your existing website if you wish or you can redirect your own domain address such as www.MySailRace.com to show the BoatLogger Race page.

How to use it
To create a Race page just head over to Boat Logger.com and create a site for your event. Most functionality is free, but some special functions are available at a small cost. To sign up as a participant in a race the boat must have a traditional yacht page, but that is done for free in a matter of minutes. Hopefully BoatLogger Race pages will kick off a large interest in sail racing among the general public!

Click here for more information on Boat Logger »

ROB WEILAND watches as the wraps come off the first TP52 to be built to the new 2015 class rule

The first TP52 built to the 2015 TP52 Rule is sailing. ‘Phoenix is her name’ and my undoubtedly biased opinion is she is a stunner. First time I will see her for real and be able to go onboard to check out the detailing will be at the Gaastra Palma Vela. The 52s that raced in Key West and Miami are on their way back to Palma to prepare for the four-event Barclays 52 Super Series 2014.

In Miami we saw Quantum Racing win the event and win the US Super Series overall, Azzurra in second for both Miami and overall and a very strong first outing by Sled in Miami for third with 33pt, just overtaking Interlodge – also with 33pt – on countback. Interlodge, however, took third overall in the US 52 Super Series to squeeze Rán off the podium by just 1pt.

Visible change from Rolex Capri Sailing Week onwards will be the 2015-sized bowsprits and corresponding larger kites. Capri, Porto Cervo, Palma and Ibiza should bring the mix of conditions that over around 37 races without discard produces a worthy winner. We start in Capri with a nine-boat fleet and our new title sponsor Barclays, both very positive developments.

Planning for 2015 is to have a five-event 52 Super Series raced in co-operation with clubs and ports in the western Med. I expect a number of new builds – between six and nine boats – and we judge it good policy not to start travelling a lot straightaway but give teams time close to their home bases to sort out these new boats. Next month I hope to be able to announce names, designers and builders and in July event dates and locations.

The commitment to run the Super Series for at least three more years and introduce the 2015 Rule, producing faster and better-looking racing machines, has triggered early interest and planning. Which also opens the door for others to step in relatively late, until the end of 2014, and still be in time to race from May 2015, if one of the by then existing moulds are used.

Meanwhile, at least three very good ‘latest model’ TP52s which are easy to upgrade to the 2015 Rule will have come on the market. To scoop up the best 52s of this moment, like Rán or Quantum, is a rare opportunity. They do not come any better than this. If owning a TP52 and close racing are on your bucket list then this is the moment to join the 2015 Super Series.

Evolution never stops. Also not with TP52s. We manage to stretch their competitive life at the highest level to about seven or eight years by allowing older boats to go outside the TP52 box. But there comes a moment that so much of a boat is dated and tired that making further investments is less efficient than buying a more recent model.

For some the constant tinkering is part of the fun. Vesper is a good example of this. Making the right choices to optimise a boat for upcoming events is rewarding in itself and, for sure, a skill that takes some time to acquire. TP52 racing is good training ground for all involved in sailboat optimisation decisions as there is ‘nowhere to hide’. The box and the close racing format remove all excuses, the playing field is genuinely level.

This can be seen as the main reason why TP52s of all ages and pedigree do well in general handicap racing. They come from a high pedigree, whether design, build, maintenance, optimisation and racing. Honed in stiff competition over years and allowed by the class to follow trends through evolutionary rule upgrades, these boats are as close to monohull perfection as it gets.

At first sight the TP52 Box Rule is a handicap as it does not allow creative spirits to run free but on second thought and proven over the years, there is still so much to play with within the box that, instead of limiting creativity, the box helps to focus on what really makes a monohull of this size tick. And to focus on how to improve those elements that, yes, are limited, mostly in size or weight, but apart from that hardly ever in shape, quality and interaction in a way that makes near perfection a realistic goal.

No better way than to learn from real competition, racing boats of the same dimensions built to the same set of rules. But admittedly we have also learnt much from permitting older boats to go outside the TP52 box. It has given designers and sailors a much better perception of the essential elements of these boats and their rule and how these are balanced against each other.

Like the limits on draft and boat and keel weight. Like the limits on sail area, bowsprit length and rig dimensions and rig materials. It has given the class members the confidence to change the class rule in the direction of a lighter and faster boat, with more sail area, more draft, less headroom, more functional cockpit space and many more details. No need to talk for days and postpone decisions for years, or for ever, if you see boats that were permitted to race with us with those features and the effect they have on performance.

Not that there was never any doubt or scepticism. It is not easy to see a boat next to you on the line with more sail area and more stability. Not easy to realise the value of her being there in the full heat of the race while at the same moment she forces you to tack away. But when you see the first photos of Phoenix (pictured above) and her clean and functional pure performance looks I hope these difficult moments become sweet memories.

Not convinced yet? The only way to find out is to get one of these machines and join the fray. Yes, competition is tough at times, yes, running a team of near 20 sailors takes a good look at the bank account but, man, there are so many floating objects out there that are less purposeful, more expensive, less rewarding and quite frankly not proper race boats if held up to the light of competition, any competition.

The 52 Super Series or the TP52 class cannot and does not aim to be the only competition or boat in town. If I can shine my personal light, we aim to provide proper and fair racing in boats that one can be proud to own or crew, design and build. They are rather exclusive boats because of the size and cost element, but they are great fun to sail for all the right reasons that one became and is a boat owner and competitive sailor.

The TP52 is a boat for those who like team work as well as continuous optimisation. It is a series for those who like well-organised high-level competition in nice places. Not too complicated on the social or glamour aspects, in the sense that camaraderie and proper sailing come first. We like our toys but for their use and for the fun that use gives. Not to show off at the dock.

Which should not be confused with any reluctance to put up a good show on the water. One has to live in the here and now to win races and enjoy life. It is not always easy to mix that with making sure there is a future, whether for the 52 Super Series or in the general sense. As that quite often requires one to worry about where to go next and how to get there.

That can be a less glamorous job, as any tactician will tell you, but I guess somebody has to do it…

Rob Weiland, TP52 class manager

Click here for more information on the Barclays 52 Super Series »

King Marine is the only Spanish shipyard involved with the European Aeroespace Agency, developing complex composite parts for the european aeroespace industry.

Being the only shipyard involved in such complex projects is not the work of chance, it’s due to the convergence of three rare factors: 20 years of proven experience in composite construction, cutting-edge technology and an obsessive passion for the job.

King Marine’s available equipment currently includes the usual features of a high-tech shipyard plus other more ‘extreme’ tools including ultrasound testing equipment, a thermo camera, CNC 5-axis milling machine, 45m-long autoclave plus a CNC pre-preg plotter.

However, we consider that our most important resource lies in the human factor and the expertise among our team. The yard can count upon a team of engineers and technicians that during the past eight years have built four America’s Cup boats, two VO70s and nine TP52s, to designs from industry leaders including Bruce Farr, Botín & Partners, German Frers, Judel-Vrolijk, Juan Kouyoumdjian, Javier Soto Acebal and Reichel-Pugh. This represents thousands of hours of design engineering, experimentation, material testing and systematic development of our building controls.

King Marine CEO Gabiel Mariani comments: ‘It’s natural for the general public to concentrate their attention on a boat’s aesthetics, the design and the paintwork, but only a few people know how to appreciate what is less easily visible: the construction process. At King Marine that process begins with the design of the carbon fibre female mould, which is CNC machined using a technique that has been perfected by King Marine over the past five years. Once the mould is finished the surface is scanned with a laser scan, using a 5,000,000 point mesh. Then the software compares the real geometry to the original design. Today we have tools that eliminate any doubt and variations can be kept below 1mm on even our largest moulds. The result of our techniques is a hull with no fairing, lighter and with a lower centre of gravity. All this adds up to more speed through the water.

‘At King Marine we not only focus on a superior level of composite output, but we also apply techniques to keep the air content within aerospace parameters rather than the more usual levels for the marine industry. These processes are, however, labour intensive since every day we are employing lighter and lighter laminates and more and more debulks. We have been challenged in the past about this obsession, but when we show the lab tests on our laminates the structural engineers fall in love with the method and would not change it for any other option. In each case the result is a stiffer and stronger boat with a lower centre of gravity.’

The experience harvested from thousands of R&D hours applied by King Marine for VOR and America’s Cup projects is today increasingly being exploited by the aerospace industry, as well as being brought to a widening range of marine products including both fast cruisers and pure racing boats like the TP52.

Gabriel Mariani CEO adds: ‘One of the things we’re most proud of at King Marine is that our clients frequently choose us again and again, returning to build their newest boats with us. We believe that this is thanks to our commitment to deliver the best price/quality ratio, while always meeting our commitments to planning and delivery.’

The latest achievement at King has been the launching of Phoenix, the ninth TP52 built by the company and the first to be built under the 2015 rule. The boat, commissioned by the well-known Brazilian sailor Eduardo Souza Ramos, was designed by Botín & Partners. Some of Phoenix’s distinguishing features compared with her TP52 predecessors include being built in a CNC-machined carbon female mould, carbon rigging, deeper draft, an ultra highmodulus bowsprit, rig deflectors, a larger cockpit, 70cm longer bowsprit and a structure that is some 200kg lighter. Truly a pure carbon speed machine!

Click here for more information on King Marine »

The world’s largest lake regatta is as popular as ever with 500 yachts expected on the start line on 14 June for what is shaping up to be a particularly interesting event

Founded in 1939, the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is not only the largest lake regatta in the world, but one of the oldest regattas in Europe. In its 75 years the event has inspired passion unlike any other, kept pace with technological innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of its competitors, and attracted champions from all over the world.

For some it is about the racing, for others, namely the hundreds of crewmembers that compete each year, the Bol d’Or Mirabaud is a celebration. Cutting-edge technology, international champions and the latest materials, or barbecue and adventure – the experience and spectacle are superb for everyone involved.

Mirabaud & Cie private bank has been the title sponsor of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud since 2006. CEO Antonio Palma sees the event as an exceptional opportunity for amateur sailors to race alongside professionals of the highest level. Each year bank employees race the Bol d’Or Mirabaud and enjoy 24 hours of sport and friendship with staff travelling from as far as their Spanish branch to take part alongside celebrities such as Francesco De Angelis and Luis Doreste, who competed in the Mirabaud Surprise Class and won last year’s ‘Celebrity Race’. For Antonio Palma – a regular on the 7.5m Surprise, winner of the 75th edition – the best moment is the start of the event, when he is just metres away from some of the biggest international champions in the sport. ‘It’s a bit like lining up against Fernando Alonso at a Formula 1 Grand Prix race. It’s only possible in sailing!’

Mirabaud has been involved in sailing sponsorship for many years, giving passionate sailors from all walks of life the opportunity to achieve their goals. In addition to being involved in the Bol d’Or, Mirabaud is main partner of Spindrift Racing, a pioneer in its quest for some of the world’s most prestigious records. The bank also supports the international photography competition Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image that is dedicated to selecting and honouring the most beautiful sailing shots of the year. For four years Mirabaud partnered Swiss sailor Dominique Wavre who raced ultimate offshore events, the Vendée Globe (2012), the Transat Jacques Vabre (2011) and the Barcelona World Race (2010-11).

The history of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud reflects the evolution of our society over three-quarters of a century – once the reserve of the socio-economic elite, the race has gradually opened up to the public, much like the Fastnet Race and the Sydney Hobart. Sponsors have taken up the mantle from the great traditional families and have developed the international flavour of today’s event.

The Bol d’Or Mirabaud has attracted great names to its entry list over the years, with Russell Coutts, Loïck Peyron, Michel Desjoyeaux, Ellen MacArthur, Dona and Ernesto Bertarelli all lining up on the start line. Every year some of the greatest sailors in the world flock to Lake Geneva on the second weekend of June for a few days of racing and celebrations!

Dona Bertarelli returns to conquer a familiar challenge
Spindrift Racing squad co-skipper and helmswoman Dona Bertarelli is a faithful Bol d’Or Mirabaud competitor. She has achieved good results over the years and in 2010 celebrated one of the greatest moments of her racing career when she became the second woman in history to win the event outright with her multihull Ladycat.

Supported by Mirabaud private bank, Spindrift Racing is well known in international circles for its campaign to break sailing records. In the autumn of this year Yann Guichard plans to take on the demanding singlehanded Route du Rhum. But these remarkable exploits in no way overshadow Dona Bertarelli’s participation in this year’s Bol d’Or Mirabaud and other Lake Geneva regattas onboard her Décision 35 Ladycat. ‘This is my natural playground,’ she said. ‘I come from here. Of course I want to get good results offshore, but the Bol d’Or Mirabaud has special memories for me.’ Her first major victory that sparked the beginning of her offshore racing campaign and more ambitious goals being one of them!

Growing international interest
For the first 65 years of the Bol d’Or (until 2004) only one non-Swiss competitor won the event when Arne Tengblad from Sweden seized victory in 1970. From 2005 this statistic was turned on its head: Loïck Peyron - who else? - became the second ‘foreigner’ to win the event, followed by Russell Coutts, Franck Cammas and then Michel Desjoyeaux in 2009.

Other international teams tried to continue the winning streak including Geneva resident Torbjørn Tørnqvist, owner of Artemis, and a Hungarian team onboard Raffica that won the monohull class in 2012 and 2013. And that is without counting the dozens of passionate amateur teams that tow their boats halfway across Europe each year to compete in the Bol d’Or Mirabaud.

In parallel local sailors have returned to the forefront with Dona Bertarelli winning the event in 2010, followed by her brother Ernesto a year later, then Jerome Clerc and Jean- Philippe Bucher last year.

Young guns
In addition to the pressure on local sailors from international teams, another contest is shaping up on Lake Geneva: young sailors are getting stronger and are starting to challenge the old guard. This symbolic transition was highlighted when a team from the Geneva Regatta Training Centre won the 2012 edition of the Bol d’Or.

Jerome Clerc and his team, and the crew on Team Tilt (Lucien Cujean and Sébastien Schneiter) and a few others are starting to overshadow the old guard. ‘Thanks to the Geneva Regatta Training Centre, our young sailors are sailing a lot and are catching up with some of our older sailors who spend less and less time on the water,’ explained Michel Glaus, president of the organising committee of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud.

Spurred on by their sponsor Realstone, the 2012 Bol d’Or Mirabaud winners have set up a professional sailing squad called Realteam that is competing on the international stage. The Swiss team’s 2014 season got off to a flying start in the professional Extreme Sailing Series.

These young sailors who dream of the America’s Cup and admire their predecessors on Lake Geneva such as Etienne David, Jean Marc Monnard, Christian Wahl and Ernesto Bertarelli are preparing well for their goals, said Nicolas Berthoud, a Whitbread veteran and head of Europ’Sails: ‘These young sailors are sailing a lot more than we used to at their age. They are supported by sponsors that expect results and the resulting structures that the teams have put in place are much more professional – Realteam is a good example, also the Regatta Training Centre, and of course Team Tilt that represented Switzerland at the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup in 2013.

‘The physical training is not to be neglected either! These young athletes also train a lot harder than we used to and this makes the difference on boats like the Décision 35. Having said this, as long as we – the old guard – can still hoist and trim at the same speed as them, we will still have our place on the lake…’ Berthoud added.

Any predictions for the next edition of the Bol d’Or Mirabaud? According to Berthoud, ‘there will be 11 Décision 35s on the start line, and all 11 can win. You need a certain maturity to choose your course on the lake, but the young sailors know the waters just as well these days.’ And a word from the young sailors? ‘This is the race to win for our team,’ said Realteam skipper Jerome Clerc. ‘Everyone has their heyday – it is time for ours!’

Click here for more information on the Bol d’Or Mirabaud »