3…2…1…Pow! “USA175, you’re over.”
As one who is not easily shocked, it was no surprise that I didn’t so much as blink when my solar powered tactical compass/sailing aid went to pot last season. Just another of many kicks I experienced. It was always sloppily mounted to the mast anyway and other than the timing feature we really didn’t pay much attention to it. Yeah, so we’re down 10-degrees and therefore we should tack right? Well not with the majority of our competition below us and headed towards the pressure on the favored side of the lake. We’ll just stay and protect our position.
So this winter, I started thinking about how we’re going to get to the line on time this season. Having used my Swatch with the second hand option most of last season, I’m ready to step into the future. Not needing an extensive instrument package on a Melges24, I have found the Prostart by Velocitek, the latest version of Velocitek’s wireless/remote. This instrument is quite the wonder. It has all the features that are important to me and more; latest GPS technology, countdown/up timer, heading, shift tracking, download playback to a computer, top speed memory, and the latest technology of a “distance to starting line” display. It’s this last feature that stands out to me. By simply sailing past the committee boat, clicking a button and sailing past the pin and clicking the button again, the system can then display your relationship to the actual starting line. Nice! Put these features together and this product is a stand-alone instrument as well as a serious addition to any current electronics package.
The younger sibling to the Prostart is the Speedpuck. This unit gives you speed and angle as well as a max speed for the day all in a nice “puck” sized package. This product is a great gift for any young sailor.
These products are available from Torresen Marine. Check out the Prostart and the Speedpuck. Any questions contact John Schumacher at Torresen Rigging; john@torresen.com or 231-759-8596 ext. 2113.
Posted in Main Stories, News From Torresen Marine | No Comments »
