Your Race in Numbers

Now that you've defined your race in ChartedSails, you can extract valuable insights from the data. This section will show you how to navigate through your race data and understand the key metrics that can help you improve.

Navigating Through the Race

To begin analyzing your race data:

1. Click on the orange bar on the timeline that represents your race
2. ChartedSails will zoom in on the race and filter out any other data
3. All the numbers and metrics will now be exclusive to the race you're analyzing

Analyzing the Start

The race start is critical - often determining your position for the entire race. Click on the starting sequence and select the Performance tool to access these key metrics:

Key Start Metrics:

• Speed at the gun - The faster the better. Too slow may indicate you were stuck beneath another boat or being overly cautious
• Time and distance to line - Should be as close to 0 as possible without crossing early
• Speed at the line - Should match your target speed for the conditions

Beyond the Numbers:

• Did you start on the favored end of the line?
• Had you correctly identified the favored side of the course?
• Did your start strategy work as planned?

Action Step: Add a comment on the timeline about your start. Was it good? If not, what specific problem occurred? Identifying areas to improve is the first step toward progress.

Leg-by-Leg Analysis

Click on each leg on the timeline to focus on that specific portion of the race:

For each leg, ChartedSails shows:

• Distance sailed
• Average speed
• Maximum speed
• VMG to the next mark

Questions to Ask:

• What side of the course did you sail on, and why?
• Did the wind rotate during the leg? Did you spot and react to shifts?
• How many maneuvers did you execute? (Generally, fewer is better, but not at the expense of missing shifts)
• Did you pinch because you tacked too early?
• Did you overstay a mark and waste distance?
• Are your speed, wind angle, and heel angle on target?

Overall Race Performance

After analyzing individual components, review your overall race performance:

• What was your average speed for the entire race?
• How does your total distance sailed compare to other races on the same course?
• If others shared their data, how do your metrics compare to theirs?

Practical Example

Here's what leg analysis might reveal:

Upwind Leg 1:
- Distance sailed: 1.2 nautical miles
- VMG: 4.8 knots
- 3 tacks executed
- Wind shifted right 15° during leg
- Lost 0.3 knots of boat speed after second tack

This data might show that you responded well to the wind shift but need to work on speed recovery after tacks.

Pro Tip

Focus on extracting 1-3 specific lessons from each race analysis session. Make notes about these points and create a plan to improve them in your next race.

Now that you understand how to analyze your race data, continue to sharing sailing insights to learn how to collaborate with your crew and other sailors.