Kite and wing race tracking, with the rider’s phone.
Course and long-distance races for kite, wing and windsurf: riders carry their phone in a waterproof case, you see everyone on the map, the start countdown and line rankings — and who is back on the beach.
Kitefoil and wingfoil course racing, long-distance and downwind races, windsurf events.
Event day, fixed.
What the race office gets.
Course and distance races
Start, marks and finish on the map; long-distance courses with marks to pass.
The start countdown on every phone
Riders feel each signal on the phone in their pocket — the flags on the beach or the committee boat still govern.
Line rankings, live
Positions by distance to the finish along the course.
Beach safety tally
On the water, finished, retired, ashore — the event closes when everyone is back.
SOS and the nearest riders
The rider’s phone guides the call to the right rescue centre; the race office sees the SOS and the nearest riders.
Your race on VesselSOS, step by step.
- 01 · YOU
Set the course
Start, marks and finish on the map — move them when the wind shifts.
- 02 · YOU
Share the code
At the riders’ briefing.
- 03 · RIDERS
Join and pack the phone
Profile → Races, then the phone goes into a waterproof case.
- 04 · YOU
Start and count them in
Run the countdown, follow the race, close at all riders ashore.
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.
- At foiling speeds, positions every few seconds are tens of metres apart: rankings and mark roundings are approximate and the race committee decides.
- Riders must carry a phone in a waterproof case; the event decides whether that is safe for its format.
- Kite racing has its own racing rules (RRS Appendix F), windsurfing Appendix B; wing races often run under event rules — check your notice of race.
- VesselSOS Racing is a pilot for the 2027 season. Race mode arrives in a VesselSOS app update.
Free tools for this race.
In your browser, no account. Downloads ask for an email; the tools never do.
Questions
Can riders carry a phone safely?
In a waterproof case in an impact-vest or harness pocket, as many riders already do for safety. The event decides whether it suits its format; the phone is both the tracker and the SOS button.
Does it work for long-distance and downwind races?
Yes, within mobile coverage. Riders are ranked by distance to the finish along the course, and the beach tally shows who is still out.
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.