wet environment and need
a proper press. I soon had
the hang of it, and found it
straightforward to use.
It helps that you can touch
the screen and the button
doesn’t trigger until you lift
your finger, so it feels the same
as a physical button. The left
and right arrows change
between the function, the cir-
cle operated the function for
that page and the square gives
you some options on what to
display. You can change the
key settings from the device as
well by pressing the middle but-
ton. RaceGeek added on-screen
button labels this winter, which
helps if you’re not familiar with
everything. All in all, you can
tell RaceGeek has put the work
into making it simple to use.
When using the RaceGeek’s
companion app, I found it help-
ful for setting up the display and
changing its settings.Connecting it via its internal
Wi-Fi was a breeze and, as the
tactician on our Hobie 33, I could
use my phone to control the
clock and ping the line from
the back of the boat. I can imag-
ine using the app as a repeater
display while I’m lying in my bunk
in an oshore race and yelling up
at my teammates on deck that
they are too heeled.
When I first received the
RaceGeek, I had setup ques-
tions because I was trying to
hook up my old paddle wheel
to the new RaceGeek, and
found the company and its
dealers very helpful.
With one call, I had all the
help I needed. One dealer
sent extremely helpful color-
coded wiring diagrams, and a
company representative even
oered to come by my boat in
San Diego while he happened
to be in town on vacation.
Because I already had a
paddle wheel in the boat, it
was just a question of connect-
ing it to the cable supplied with
the RaceGeek as well as the
boat’s power. The RaceGeek
comes with a clip-in cradle
that can be attached to a
mast bracket. They also sent
a mast bracket from Sail22
and we had the whole thing
attached to the mast with
Velcro in no time.Super Simple
The tactician calls out,
“3...2...1...mark!” I press the tri-
angle button on the left side
of Velocitek’s popular ProStart
unit as we pass, closehauled
by the pin end of the start line.
Both ends are now “pinged”—
or is it “pung?” A topic for
another day. For now, we have
time for a couple of practice
starts to determine how much
time it takes to get to the
line from a certain distance.
We’ll also find out how many
meters-per-second we are
traveling in the current condi-
tions, which will help us in the
final seconds before the start.
The ProStart displays the dis-
tance we’re o the line for a
couple of seconds after the
timer stops. One meter is a
good goal, and with this unit, it
is certainly realistic.We nail the start, then the
ProStart automatically displays
GPS course and speed over
ground. While the data is rarely
accurate enough to extrap-
olate windshifts and speed
modes, they are valuable when
used in conjunction with an
instrument that provides boat-
speed and magnetic heading. In
the case of our Melges 24, we
use RayMarine’s RaceMaster.
With a little thinking and geom-
etry, both “types” of speed and
heading give us a rudimentary
look at the current and tide.
For example, we’re on a long
tack, sailing to the left side of
the racecourse, trying to decide
when to tack back for the
weather mark. The GPS speed
and heading on the ProStart
is reading faster and more to
the left than the boatspeed or
magnetic compass.
This indicates the current is
coming from our aft starboard
quarter, which means we’ll be
pushed up, from right to left,
on port, after we tack. With this
knowledge, we make sure we
tack well before port layline and
shave o valuable distance.
The ProStart is straight-
forward, providing limited data,
but it really pays for itself with
its simple and accurate start
line “pinging” function. Its easy-
to-read, one-touch buttons
make determining the startline a breeze. There is a ‘+1’
button to add time to the timer
while the “gun” button easily
syncs to the nearest minute.
I also like that you can use the
“mode” button to look at start-
distance data even if you’re not
in a sequence.The All-In
As I watch the display on the
B&G Triton II on our J/70, it’s
clear we still have .3 knots of
current in our face. Our tacti-
cian shares his thoughts: “Let’s
keep pushing left, closer to
shore.” I’ve been watching a dia-
gram on the screen showing
the boat, with an arrow super-
imposed over it. The arrow has
been changing direction relative
to the boat.
At times, the arrow changes
size, getting thicker when
there’s more current strength
and thinner when it moder-
ates. As we near the left shore,
the arrow shrinks, indicating
we’re finding better current
relief. We sail as close to shore
as we dare and tack out. After
some time on port, we find the
current building again. Time
to tack back for some more
current relief.
This system, unlike the oth-
ers, is not self-contained and
requires a separately mounted
compass, GPS and battery.
With time and eort spent
calibrating the unit, you can
achieve accurate current data,
which can be crucial in venues
such as Charleston Harbor or
San Francisco Bay. This system
does not ping ends of a starting
line, but if used in conjunction
with the Velocitek ProStart,
you’ll have all you need. The B&G
Triton II also displays very accu-
rate heel and pitch. The benefits
of this unit include the compact
display with a variety of out-
put options, as well as its fast,
accurate data refresh.
The Triton II has push buttons
under the display that easily
let you navigate through the
menus. After playing with
the unit for only a short time
it becomes pretty simple to
use. We have hidden some of
the display options so that
we only see the pages that we
absolutely need. QSTARTING LINE
ELECTRONICS
SUMMER 2019
SW
038
At times,
the arrow
changes size,
getting thicker
when there’s
more current
strength and
thinner when
it moderates.
The simple Velocitek ProStart
is a favorite. The B&G Triton 2
brings more sophistication.