How an Audible Sailing Countdown Timer Gave Us World-Class Starts.
- peter79638
- Jan 16
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
A personal SailPro race-day story
I want to share a very real, on-the-water example of how SailPro has genuinely changed the way I approach race starts.
Recently, I was racing in one-design Etchells racing. On one of the race days, we had four starts. Across all four:
If we weren’t first off the line, we were within seconds of the front boats
We never broke the line once
We were racing against some of the best sailors in Australia - and arguably the world
That level of consistency was no accident. The single biggest contributor was SailPro’s audible countdown timer, paired with Bluetooth bone-conductive headsets.
Here’s what I did differently:
SailPro running with audible countdown enabled with phone in my SailPro - Shield XT IP68 waterproof pouch.
Wearing bone-conductive Bluetooth headphones. You can buy these from vendors such as Shokz a very well know brand or our very own Bone F1's.
No watch checks
No staring at a phone screen
No shouting time calls across the boat
Because the head phones 'bone-conductive', I could still:
Hear the skipper
Hear the crew
Hear other boats around us
But at the same time, the countdown was constantly and clearly in my head.
Not metaphorically—literally.
The Power of Not Looking
This was the biggest shift.
I did not look once at a watch or display during the start sequences. I didn’t need to. I always knew exactly where we were in time:
“30 seconds”
“20 seconds”
“10 seconds”
Then the final second-by-second countdown10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…
That knowledge was instant, uninterrupted, and stress-free.
Most sailors are:
Looking at a watch
Looking at a display
Asking someone else for time
Or hearing delayed, shouted calls
Every one of those steps introduces latency, confusion, and doubt.
With the audible countdown, the time was simply there.
Freedom Creates Better Decisions
Because I knew the countdown without effort, it gave me freedom and that’s the real advantage.
It allowed me to:
Sail away from the line confidently
Judge how long it would take to return at ~70% speed
Make clean acceleration or deceleration decisions
Push boats away!
Fill gaps - build speed
Force gaps
Slow safely
Speed up decisively
All without once thinking:
“How long have we got left?”
I already knew.
The Final Countdown Is the Secret Weapon
The final audible countdown, where SailPro calls every second was gold.
Those last 10 seconds are where you:
Time acceleration perfectly
Decide whether to hold, slow, or punch through
Commit to a lane
Make bold moves with confidence
Because the time is exact, you can:
Delay by 2 seconds
Advance by 1 second
Hold speed deliberately
That level of precision is incredibly hard when you’re glancing at a watch or relying on shouted calls.
Results Don’t Lie
We were not the fastest boat in the fleet. In raw boat speed, against this quality of competition, we were probably mid to back of the pack. But one thing is absolutely clear:
👉 Our starts were as good as anyone’s - if not better.
And the photos from that regatta back it up.
Final Takeaway
SailPro’s audible countdown didn’t just help us start well.
It:
Removed doubt
Removed distraction
Reduced cognitive load
Gave us tactical freedom
Delivered repeatable, elite-level starts
When the countdown is in your head, not on your wrist, you stop guessing and you start executing.
And in one-design racing, that makes all the difference. ⛵
“But I Don’t Want to Take My Phone on the Boat…”
It’s a common concern: “I don’t want to take my phone racing - it’ll get wet or damaged.”
That’s understandable, but in reality, it’s far less of an issue than many sailors think.
Modern Android and iOS phones are highly water-resistant, and with a simple waterproof pouch, they’re well protected. More importantly, SailPro doesn’t require you to handle or even look at your phone during critical moments.
With SailPro’s audible countdown timer, your phone can stay safely stowed away while the time is delivered directly to you. Paired with bone-conduction headsets, you still hear the crew, the skipper, and the boats around you without losing awareness.
The result is less distraction, less guesswork, and more confidence at the start all without exposing your phone on deck. And! You've probably spent tens of thousands on new sails, boat gear, etc, etc spend $300 on headsets and a pouch and get the jump.
Author:
Peter La Fontaine
Peter is the CEO of SailPro and brings decades of hands-on sailing experience, having raced across dinghies, one-design classes, and offshore fleets, with thousands of miles of ocean sailing behind him.
Photos: Are by Tom Smeaton https://www.facebook.com/tom.smeaton.9
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