Locosys has announced the launch of the GW-60, a GPS wristwatch for windsurfers and kiteboarders.
The new GW-60 is completely waterproof to 50 meters and promises to survive the high-speed crashes. It can be worn on your wrist and maintains a charge for two months.
When selected in GPS mode, the Locosys GW-60 will record up to 11 hours of data at a 5Hz recording setting, or 55 hours of recording at a 1Hz setting, in Doppler format.
As a result, the GW-60 files will be accepted by all leading GPS speed sailing contests and sites. Unlike other GPS units, the GW-60 will easily connect to Apple or Windows computers.
Real-time data includes top speed, current speed, best average speed for 10 seconds, average of the best five top ten second runs, and total distance sailed.
File transfer is easy, and no special connections or drivers are needed. All you need to do is use the provided USB adapter cable to connect to your computer or to recharge.
Speed sailing is becoming increasingly popular, and the quest for world records is a reality, on a daily basis, and across the world.
The speed sailing record still belongs to the Vestas Sailrocket 2, and it was set in 2012 at 65.45 knots. But the windsurfing and kiteboarding speed sailing communities have not given up.
Kites still hold a comfortable advantage over windsurfing sails. Alex Caizergues set a new world kiteboarding speed record at 56.62 knots in 20113, while Antoine Albeau raised the windsurfing bar to 53.27 knots in 2015.