Garmin and SailRacer launch 2014 Garmin Summer Series

New 'High Definition' series of mixed-fleet dinghy racing events spread across the country for Summer 2014

Garmin, in conjunction with SailRacer, the sailing data and events specialists, has launched the Garmin Summer Series at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show at Alexandra Palace 1-2 March.  Five venues, from Ullswater in the north to Calshot on the south coast, have signed up for the Garmin Summer Series.

Each event offers a variety of exciting and competitive multi-class handicap or pursuit racing for all ages and abilities, including the prestigious Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy.  Voted as one of the world’s top 10 must-do events, this race covers a seven mile course around Ullswater Lake.

With the focus on family fun as well as on-the-water racing, the Garmin Summer Series events include onshore activities, evening entertainment, coaching sessions and live event tracking.  This event formula has proven successful, already attracting entries from a multitude of dinghy classes to the SailRacer events.  

All the Garmin Summer Series events will feature SailRacer's GPS tracking services.  Thanks to the sponsorship from Garmin, these events will now integrate onboard footage using the rugged new Garmin VIRB Elite action camera.  This enables sailors and coaches to review their on-the-water performance after each race, and will enhance and increase the media coverage and online viewings post each event.

In addition to a Garmin perpetual trophy for the overall winner of the Garmin Summer Series, a VIRB Elite action camera will be presented to the winning boat at each Sumer Series event. This new action camera features a 1.4 inch colour display as a viewfinder for the unit, making this camera exceptionally easy to use to create high quality, high definition (1080p HD) video and photographs. The Garmin VIRB Elite top of the range model also includes high sensitivity GPS, accelerometer, altimeter and WiFi.  Using the Garmin VIRB Elite competing crews, coaches and event organiser SailRacer can overlay footage taken onboard during with GPS data including speed, direction and even heart rate.

Since its launch in 2008, SailRacer has established itself as one of the leading sailing databases, offering online entry, event management, event organisation, live tracking and race coverage.  It manages all the online entries for the RYA squad events and is recognised for its ability to communicate events and results to the media, class organisers and competitors.   SailRacer also offers a seamless solution for class representatives, looking for high profile events which can be included in their own summer schedule.  SailRacer’s results service enables it to extract results from overall series and produce individual class leader boards for followers throughout the season.

Full details of the Garmin Summer Series were revealed on the main stage at the Dinghy Show on Saturday 1st March at 1.40pm, following presentation of the GJW Direct SailJuice Winter Series.

Garmin displayed its full range of new products, for fun on and off the water, including the new VIRB and VIRB Elite action cameras, the quatix® marine watch, handheld GPS, VHF radios and racing compasses on stand F50 at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show.  For more information about SailRacer, visit www.sailracer.org

 

Event dates and venues for the Garmin Summer Series 2014 are:

 

11 May                        Carsington Summer Trophy Event

31 May – 1 June         Datchet Summer Flyer

21 June                       Oxford Summertime Blue

2-6 July                       The Lord Birkett Memorial Trophy

23-25 August               GJW Direct SailFest

10/3/2014 17:02