SailTimer
SailTimer is a technology for sailboat navigation, which calculates optimal tacking angles, distances and times. Seafarers have had a dilemma for as long as sailboats could use lift to sail upwind. Should you head off the wind more, to get more speed (but at a longer distance)? Or should you sail upwind more, to lessen the distance (but at slower speed)? Different sailboats have varying capabilities for sailing upwind because of the condition of their sails, the type of rigging, and the ability to track in the water based on their keel or centerboard design. That means there is not a single rule for everyone; each vessel has its own individual polar plot of boat speed for all of the possible wind angles. The mathematical calculations for determining the tacking angles and times with polar plots would not be practical to do mentally. Rationale Civilian access to GPS navigation became available circa 1989. Estimated time of arrival (ETA) is a standard GPS chartplotter parameter, based on the assumption that the route will be a straight line to the destination. However, sailboats typically tack back and forth, creating a longer distance than a straight line. SailTimer evaluates tacking distances and boat