Annapolis Yacht Club's RaceSense Rollout
Founded in 1886, Annapolis Yacht Club has long set the standard for competitive sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and beyond. As a Platinum Club of America, AYC is known for hosting world-class regattas, producing Olympic sailors, and running one of the most vibrant weeknight racing programs in the country. So when the club decided to invest in Vakaros’s RaceSense technology and bring it in-house, it marked a deliberate step toward modernizing race management.
That investment was put to the test at the Helly Hansen Sailing World Series, the largest local event of the year, where AYC’s Race Committee ran RaceSense entirely independently for the first time. Operating the system with their own team and equipment, the club proved it could deliver clean, confident race management without relying on outside support.
At the annual meeting in early 2026, J/105 Fleet 3 voted to purchase Atlas units, revise their fleet rules, and update race documents to support RaceSense integration. This was a coordinated effort between AYC and the local fleet to implement these changes ahead of the season.
With classes like the J/70, Star, and Melges 15 already utilizing RaceSense, Fleet 3 had the blueprints. Working alongside their local Race Committee, they developed a plan to bring the technology to the 2026 season.
"Race one [at HHSWRS] is all it took for me to see the true value in RaceSense. Nearly half of the fleet was called OCS. Without RaceSense, that would have easily turned into a general recall," said Doug Stryker, owner of J/105 MAYHEM.
In larger fleets, boats at the pin end or obscured from the RC are a constant challenge. With RaceSense, every competitor's position is captured, no matter where they are on the line. OCS calls that would have previously gone undetected, or forced a general recall, were handled cleanly and accurately.
The Atlas 2 also opened up tactical possibilities that weren't available before. During a race with a strong opposing tide at the start, the crew of Velvet Hammer used real-time data from their Atlas 2 to sail over the RC boat and execute a dip start, winning the favored end and nailing their timing precisely.
Further proof came from MAYHEM. When their onboard B&G system failed ahead of the regatta, the team turned entirely to their Atlas 2 for performance data. Despite the setback, they delivered a three-day performance that secured a podium finish in the highly competitive fleet.
The momentum is spreading well beyond one fleet.
What started as one RC's problem-solving conversation has become a coordinated regional rollout with multiple clubs and classes committing to RaceSense. When a club like Annapolis Yacht Club commits at this level, it sets a new standard for how regattas are run.
