IC37 Class Turns to RaceSense for 2026 North Americans
The IC37 class is adding a new tool to its progressive racing program this fall. When the fleet gathers in Newport, RI, for the 2026 North American Championship, October 9-11, the boats will race with Vakaros’ RaceSense for the first time.
Hosted by Sail Newport, the North Americans are the final event of the IC37's 2026 Season Championship and one of the highlights of a busy year for the class. The fleet has already competed at the New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta, the U.S. National Championship, the Sail Newport Regatta and Safe Harbor Race Weekend.
Now, as the season reaches its finale, RaceSense will become part of the IC37 racing experience.
A First with RaceSense
Originally backed by New York Yacht Club, the IC37 quickly established itself as the premier one-design class in Newport, bringing competitive owner-driven racing to some of the region's most prestigious regattas.
The North American Championship is a fitting setting for the fleet's first experience with RaceSense. With the boats closely matched and the fleet often compressed at the starting line, small gains can have an outsized effect once the clock hits zero.
RaceSense gives the fleet immediate information about OCS status, removing some of the uncertainty that has traditionally surrounded a crowded start. Sailors know where they stand as soon as the gun goes, while the race committee has another layer of confidence in managing the line.
Sail Newport has already seen that difference with other fleets.
“Knowing instantly whether you were OCS or cleared is huge, and it makes the whole thing far fairer for everyone,” said Sail Newport Regatta Director Diarmaid Desmond.
That experience has also changed how Sail Newport approaches race management as a whole.
A Natural Fit
The IC37 adoption represents another step in Sail Newport's evolution with RaceSense.
The organization first worked with the system at the 2025 Newport Regatta, when Vakaros representatives operated RaceSense on one of Sail Newport's three race circles. After seeing it firsthand, Sail Newport invested in its own system for 2026 and hasn't looked back.
“We had seen enough to recognise how valuable RaceSense is and the difference it makes to how racing is run, and we wanted to be able to offer it ourselves.”
That investment has already translated into regular use on the water. At the 2026 Newport Regatta, Sail Newport ran RaceSense on two circles for the Etchells, Melges 24s and VX Ones. It was also used for the Swan 28 fleet during Safe Harbor Race Weekend.
Now the IC37s join them.
For the class, that means stepping into technology that is already second nature to the race committee managing its championship. Rather than RaceSense being something brought in for a single demonstration or trial, it is an established part of race management in Newport.
More Than a Starting Line
While the starting line will be the most visible change for the IC37s, RaceSense also offers race tracking for fans and friends of the fleet while giving the fleet access to the race data generated throughout the event.
Race logs can be combined with video and other performance tools to revisit starts, positioning and other moments on the course. That gives IC37 teams another way to look back at their championship racing—not just at who finished where, but at what actually happened on the water.
The class has made a point of investing not only in competition, but in helping its sailors get better together. Class coaching, shared debriefs, and opportunities to learn from other teams have become an important part of the IC37 experience.
Sailors share what they are seeing on the water, coaches help break down what worked and what didn't, and the fleet benefits from bringing those conversations back to the group.
RaceSense adds another layer to that process. Instead of relying solely on memory, a single video perspective or individual observations, teams will have another set of data to bring into those conversations, giving the fleet a clearer picture of what happened on the racecourse.
The North Americans
The IC37 Class’s first RaceSense event comes at an appropriate moment. After a season spent racing around Newport and competing for its 2026 championship, the North Americans will bring the fleet together for one final test. The racing will be close, the competition familiar and the margins small, as they tend to be in the IC37s.
The fleet in October will be a familiar collection of contenders. Daniel Thielman's Kuai comes in as the reigning 2026 National Champion after edging Carter Robertson's Shaman by a single point at Race Week. Steve Liebel's New Wave has been particularly strong in Newport, winning both the NYYC Annual Regatta and Sail Newport Regatta, while Megan Grapengeter-Rudnick's Vigilant has been consistently near the front at all three events. Peter Wagner's Skeleton Key and Chris Lewis' Qubit add two more experienced programs to the lineup.
And for a fleet that has embraced the challenge of making one-design racing as competitive as possible, it is a natural next step.
Desmond attested, “Race one event with it and see for yourself. The only thing we would change is doing it sooner.”
For more information on the IC37 Class and to follow the Championship, visit ic37class.org. To learn more about bringing RaceSense to your next event, visit vakaros.com.
