| The San Pedro Olympic Classes Regatta, held July 19–24 and part of the Sailing Grand Slam Series, marked a significant step for the ILCA class: the first major regatta at which an ILCA fleet raced under the Vakaros RaceSense starting system. Held at one of the venues slated to host sailing at the LA 2028 Olympic Games, San Pedro gave some top sailors a valuable opportunity to see this technology tested at scale and consider what it could mean for how ILCA racing is started in the future.
One of the persistent challenges with our sport is managing large, competitive fleets at the start line fairly and efficiently. General recalls, uncertain OCS calls, and the time lost re-starting entire fleets have long been a source of frustration for sailors and race officials alike. Vakaros RaceSense, a World Sailing-approved system, was built to address exactly that problem, and the organizers of the San Pedro Sailing Grand Slam used it as an opportunity to test the system at scale on the ILCA fleet.
The system works by linking every part of the starting sequence together: two fixed units mark either end of the line, each boat carries its own onboard unit, and the Race Officer’s tablet ties it all together with a real-time view of where every boat sits relative
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