Club racing, without the paperwork.
The weekly club race runs on volunteers and a sign-out sheet. VesselSOS Racing turns it into a 6-digit code: skippers check in from their phone, the race officer sees every boat, and provisional results are ready when the last boat finishes.
Club races, evening training races and season series — the small race that comes round again and again all season.
Club night, fixed.
Built for the weekly race.
Set up in ten minutes
Draw the course on a chart and share one code. No trackers to charge, hand out or collect.
The start clock on every phone
5-4-1-0 or 3-2-1-0, as your sailing instructions say — every boat sees the same countdown and flags. Phones buzz at each signal.
Line and corrected, live
ORC/IRC time-on-time or the time correction factor your club uses, projected while they race.
Who’s out, who’s in
On the water, finished, retired, ashore. The evening is over at 12 / 12 ashore, not at the last finish.
Volunteer roles
Race office, RC boat and safety boat each see what they need. Message the whole fleet from the race office.
Entries from a CSV
Import your entry list (a Manage2Sail export works) and every skipper gets a personal link with the boat already picked.
Your race on VesselSOS, step by step.
- 01 · YOU
Draw tonight’s course
Marks and finish on the chart — leg lengths and bearings are shown for the wind.
- 02 · YOU
Say the code at the briefing
Or pin the QR on the noticeboard. Regulars join from their profile in seconds.
- 03 · SKIPPERS
Join in two taps
Boat and persons on board. Name, phone and ashore contact come from their VesselSOS profile.
- 04 · YOU
Results before the bar closes
Provisional results at the last finish. Check them, correct by hand if needed, export to Sailwave or CSV.
Every crew back ashore.
Joining is checking out
Name, boat, persons on board and an ashore contact come with the skipper’s profile — no sign-out sheet.
A tally until 12 / 12
On the water, finished, retired, ashore. Ashore is marked at the harbour; the race closes when everyone is in.
SOS, with the call guided
SOS on the competitor’s phone guides the call to the right rescue centre and alerts the race office the same second, with position.
The 3 nearest boats
One tap asks the three nearest boats to help (RRS 1.1). The time they spend assisting is logged.
VesselSOS is not a rescue service and never alerts a rescue centre for anyone. It does not replace safety boats, VHF or your club’s safety plan. Write your race-day safety plan →
Honest limits.
- VesselSOS Racing is a pilot for the 2027 season, with a small group of clubs. Race mode arrives in a VesselSOS app update.
- Season series standings are SOON. Until then each race exports as CSV or a Sailwave file for your series.
- Live handicap: ORC/IRC time-on-time or a time correction factor. Portsmouth Yardstick in our free calculator.
- GPS flags possible early starts and missed marks; the race officer decides.
Free tools for this race.
In your browser, no account. Downloads ask for an email; the tools never do.
Questions
Is it worth it for a small weekly race?
That is who the pilot is for: weekly, volunteer-run races with no budget for trackers. Competitors only need the free VesselSOS app; we agree the pilot terms with each club — there are no prices yet.
Can we score the whole season series?
Not inside VesselSOS Racing yet — series standings are SOON. Each race exports as CSV or a Sailwave file, so the series keeps running in Sailwave or your spreadsheet (low-point scoring under RRS Appendix A, unless your sailing instructions say otherwise).
Do competitors need a new app?
No. Race mode lives inside the free VesselSOS app, under Profile → Races; home stays the same. Race mode arrives in an app update for the 2027 pilot season — VesselSOS is on iPhone today, Android later. Organisers and spectators use the web.
What happens when someone sends SOS?
SOS works exactly as in the app today: the SOS screen guides the skipper to call the right rescue centre for those waters, with the position ready to read out. In a race it also alerts the race office the same second, and the race office can ask the 3 nearest boats to help (RRS 1.1). VesselSOS does not call or alert the rescue centre for anyone.
Who sees the competitors’ phone numbers?
Only the race office, for safety. The public live page shows boats, positions and results — never phone numbers or contacts. Contact details are deleted 30 days after the race.
What does it cost?
It is free for competitors, always. We are onboarding a small group of clubs as pilots for the 2027 season and agree the terms with each club — no prices yet.
Other races on VesselSOS Racing
Run the whole race on one screen.
VesselSOS Racing is the race-office web app we're building with pilot clubs: draw the course, share a 6-digit code, see every boat live with line and corrected positions — and every crew back ashore. Skippers join in the free VesselSOS app they already carry.