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Fitness Trackers for Sailing
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pompeysailor View Drop Down
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Posts: 101 		Post Options Post Options   Quote pompeysailor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Fitness Trackers for Sailing
    Posted: 27 Feb 17 at 4:44pm
Can anyone recommend a suitable Fitness tracker which does the following:
* Heart Rate - ideally chest wearable or if a watch can sit easily under a wetsuit e.g not too bulky
* GPS
* Waterproof
* Anything else which adds value for Sailing (only being used for sailing)

Thanks
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KazRob View Drop Down
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Posts: 245 		Post Options Post Options   Quote KazRob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Feb 17 at 8:22pm
Ive be used various Garmins for running, some have heart rate monitors and most are waterproof now. Battery life shouldn't be an issue for sailing and my old Forerunner XT could easily do 6 or 7 hours, so newer ones should be much better.
What I found when I tried sailing with it was that it wasn't really designed for the zig zagging of sailing and you get some funny stuff back like minutes per mile that might only suit an American PHRF sailor.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Mar 17 at 10:56am
In reply to the OP:
I previously used a Garmin Forerunner (210 I think?) for sailing and cycling. I have couple of garmins for cycling but their major benefit is for cycling specific training. You're not doing to be doing 'interval' training or 'pacing' in a boat, so those features are somewhat worthless. You could get waterproof case for your phone (£20) and buy a Bluetooth HR monitor (£30) if you want that data, then just download the Strava app (free). 

The garmin watches come showing your mile pace, but you can easily change that to kph or mph. Showing av over the last 500 m seemed to work well as it even's out the errors in instantaneous GPS speed. Never had a problem with the zig zagging. But... for sailing I don't think the £200 watch adds anything (in fact, i think for running they don't really add much past a regular phone). 

As for a site which logs the data, I just used Garmin Connect, but I see some people using Strava (much better social community and one I use for sailing). 

As an interesting aside (looking as added sailing value)
However, I think there is a massive hole (well, sailing isn't that massive, but I'm sure there would be interest). for  sailing specific site. One of the best things for Strava is for races there is a 'flyby' feature. Its takes everyone who did the same course as you that day, and 'plays back' all their activities. For cycling it's quite interesting seeing where breaks form, where the peloton split, where the lead groups made their gains etc..

...but for sailing it would be even more interesting. You could see exactly where they sailed, aver speeds for legs, VMG or replayed sped up or in slow motion. You can just use smart phones, so most people already have the equipment required.

As an example here is Steve Cockerill and George Yoeman at the Chichester Snowflake, shown in 'flyby' on Strava. 


Unfortunately they were in different fleets, but you could filter based on the time when people pass through the start line. You could then have it replaying in the bar after sailing. With a few tweeks to show more sailing specific data (VMG / speed in knots) it would be awesome. 


Edited by mozzy - 06 Mar 17 at 11:03am
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Eisvogel View Drop Down
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Posts: 135 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Eisvogel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Mar 17 at 12:12pm
Originally posted by mozzy

...but for sailing it would be even more interesting. You could see exactly where they sailed, aver speeds for legs, VMG or replayed sped up or in slow motion. You can just use smart phones, so most people already have the equipment required.

I've used raceQs for that. You have an app on your smartphone that records your position, and then you upload the track to the site and you can see an action replay on a Google Earth map. Quite interesting, but as I was the only one doing it, it didn't turn out to have too much value besides getting used to sailing in straighter lines. 

If more people are doing it, you can see them all side-by-side on the course.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Mar 17 at 1:12pm
Yeah, i think the key is that you can show side by side with other users. Like is said up post, I used to track and upload to Garmin Connect; but it didn't really have much of a purpose and I didn't get much from it. 

I think something like the strava flyby, but in a more sailor friendly metrics would be more interesting. Stuff like showing VMG for each leg, knots as the speed, overlain admiralty charts rather than google maps. Overlay meteorology data. 

Basically, the technology is all there to produce the sort of tracking you see for international regattas and volvo ocean race etc, without the need to buy sailing specific tracking equipment.

I think it would be a excellent learning tool for coaching, but also a bit of fun in the bar afterwards: who was fastest of the reach? Who points the highest up wind. Who snuck around the windward each lap without ever getting that last knock?  

It's added a lot of value in sports like running and cycling and I think it could be even better in sailing where it's often quite hard to visualize where and when the race was lost and won, 

I'm surprised none of the sailing companies has made a go at it? Maybe for the small market it just doesn't make sense to invest in a low sale value product (an app) as the numbers who would buy it just aren't there. 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Mar 17 at 1:13pm
errr... just looked at RaceQs website... what i've suggest they're already doing. I've downloaded it to my phone and will give it a go this season. 

Edited by mozzy - 06 Mar 17 at 1:20pm
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