GPS — Speed Sailing Resources

For most sailors, GPS is simple: did I go faster today than last time? But at the pointy end of the sport, it's a serious discipline. World records are contested to the decimal place, and the integrity of the measurement is everything. The same satellites, the same physics — an objective standard that applies equally to the weekend warrior chasing a personal best and the elite speed sailor setting the bar for the world.

These are the sites and communities worth knowing.

Jim's Top Picks

ka72.com

In January 2009, ka72.com was created to make GPS speed analysis accessible to everyone — not just the technically minded. The site tracks GPS speeds for windsurfing, kitesurfing, wingfoiling and windfoiling, and has grown into a global community of speed sailors logging sessions from spots around the world. The name KA72 is a sail number — the registered number of Kellie Tusler, a windsurfer since the early 1990s, Lancelin Ocean Classic winner (2000), and former state and national Women's Windsurfing Champion. She loaned her domain to make it happen. Jim digs it 🤙🏾

GPSTC — GPS Team Challenge

"Smiles on dials."
— the Fangman from Fangyland

The GPS Team Challenge is a windsurfing competition based on average team scores across six event disciplines using GPS technology. Teams from across Australia and around the world compete across: 2-second peak, 5 x 10-second average, 1-hour GPS max, Nautical Mile max, Alpha racing, and maximum distance in a single session. On each session day, the two best scores per discipline from any team member are averaged for the team score. The competition runs annually, with the lowest cumulative score across all disciplines winning. In Australia, four Seasonal Cup Months keep things interesting year-round — January (Summer), April (Autumn), July (Winter), October (Spring). No trophy. Just bragging rights.
Once the data drops, the bullshit stops. Jim wants a sheep station 🐑

Essential Resources

gps-speedsurfing.com

Known in the community as GP3S, gps-speedsurfing.com has been the home of online GPS speed sailing since 2004. The site tracks maximum speeds across different distances, with a global and ever-growing community of wind riders sharing their sessions. Fairness is taken seriously, with an active community that holds result integrity to a high standard.

Waterspeed

Waterspeed is a newer platform for water sports enthusiasts — statistics, key metrics, community and competitions across windsurfing and much more. It tracks cumulative distance over time, rewarding consistency as much as outright speed.

Jim's claim to fame is he hit 3rd in the cumulative windsurfing distance challenge for a stretch. 

Seabreeze Forums

Seabreeze is the go-to online community for Australian wind sport sailors — windsurfing, kitesurfing, and beyond. The forums are active, knowledgeable, and cover lots and lots of stuff. 

What Do the Numbers Mean?

GPS speed sailing has its own language. Here's a quick guide to the key metrics:

  • 2-second peak — your single fastest 2-second average. The purest expression of top speed.
  • 10-second average — smooths out the spikes. A more reliable indicator of real speed.
  • 500m run — the gold standard distance for speed sailing records. Timed over a straight 500-metre course.
  • 1-hour average — endurance speed. How fast can you sustain it?
  • Alpha 500 — a 500m run that must include a gybe. Tests real-world sailing ability, not just straight-line speed.
  • Nautical Mile max — your fastest nautical mile. Distance meets speed.

Every rider — from world record holder to weekend warrior — is measured by the same satellites, the same physics, the same standard.

Who Are the Online Riders?

Wind riders from every corner of the globe. Some are chasing world records. Some are chasing their own personal best. Some just want to know if today was faster than last Tuesday. The leaderboard doesn't care where you're from, what gear you ride, or how long you've been sailing — if you've got a proper GPS device and wind, you're on.

More Coming Soon

More links, results, and commentary will be added as sessions are logged and tracks pile up.