SUP race timing from the paddlers’ phones.
Paddlers join with a 6-digit code in the free VesselSOS app, phone in a waterproof pouch. You see everyone on the map, finishes are timed, and provisional results are ready when the last paddler is in.
Sprint and distance SUP races, technical beach races, paddle festivals and club series.
SUP race day, fixed.
What the race office gets.
The course on a map
Start, turn marks and finish, drawn by dragging. Leg lengths are shown as you go.
Line honours, live
Positions by distance to the finish along the course, with gaps in time.
The start countdown on every phone
Every paddler sees the same countdown — phones buzz at each signal.
A live page for families
Map, positions and finishes in any browser, and full screen on the beach-bar TV.
Who’s out, who’s in
On the water, finished, retired, ashore — until everyone is back on the beach.
Results as CSV
Provisional results at the last finish, corrected by hand where your finish judge saw it differently.
Your race on VesselSOS, step by step.
- 01 · YOU
Draw the course
Start, buoys and finish on the map. Publish it to the paddlers.
- 02 · YOU
Share the code
At registration, on the noticeboard or by SMS.
- 03 · PADDLERS
Join and pocket the phone
Profile → Races in VesselSOS, then the phone goes into a waterproof pouch.
- 04 · YOU
Start, time, publish
Run the countdown, watch the race, publish provisional results at the last finish.
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.
- Line honours only for now. Checkpoint races — passing a set of checkpoints in any order — are SOON.
- Phone GPS is about ±3–5 m, roughly one to two seconds at paddling speed. For a close finish your finish judge decides.
- Every paddler needs a phone on board (waterproof pouch or deck bag) and the free VesselSOS app; race mode arrives in an app update for the 2027 pilot season.
- SUP and paddle races usually run under the event’s own rules or national / ICF rules, not the Racing Rules of Sailing — check your notice of race.
Free tools for this race.
In your browser, no account. Downloads ask for an email; the tools never do.
Questions
Is GPS timing accurate enough for a SUP race?
For most finishes, yes: phone GPS is about ±3–5 m, which is one to two seconds at paddling speed. For a sprint finish decided by a board length, have a finish judge at the line — you can correct any time by hand before you publish.
Do paddlers have to carry their phone?
Yes — the phone is the tracker and the SOS button. A waterproof pouch on the vest or a deck bag works. Many events already ask paddlers to carry a phone for safety.
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.