I've just purchased a Garmin Fenix 6X. A bit bamboozled by how all this works frankly.

Is there a preferred app for use with windsurfing.
Many thanks

I have a garmin and I know it seems complicated at first but you will crack it in no time. You need to download garmin IQ app and try the different ones. Depends what data you want from it. You can get app with basic data or some that have so much data I can't make sense of it all. You could start off with a basic one like George r and then move up to the ones by Tb wonder that gives you all sorts of data.

Better buy a Coros GPS watch. Everything is simple and user friendly.
It already has both windsurfing and speedsurfing in the training activity list.
The battery life is close to a month (shorter when GPS is on during sport activity)
The app is awesome.
The data from Coros watches is officially recognized at speedsurfing website.

I have the 5X (and 245 Music). I found I did not need to download or install any special activity apps at all. I just made my own activity screens. It was very easy.

For windfoiling I made an activity called--well--Windfoiling. Screen 1: distance, speed, time of day. Screen 2: max speed. Screen 3: true map. Automatic upload to Garmin Connect on my phone when I stop and save the activity. Garmin Connect works fine as a method to archive sessions. It shows all kinds of numbers as well as shows a map of your track.

Unlike Strava, which shows speeds and max speed calculated from positional data (and is very noisy and max speed it too high), Garmin Connect reports speed data directly from the watch. (These data are reportedly doppler.)

I do exactly the same thing with a Garmin 245 Music. The map on the 245 is just a blank, but it does show the shape and size of your track. The Garmin Connect does still show a true map with track from the 245.

I use APProsail. Just hit start and go. There are other apps with more features that line up with wind direction and all that but I found I didn't want to fiddle and would rather just get on the water.

+1 !
approsail, just perfect app

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UglyBird said..
Better buy a Coros GPS watch. Everything is simple and user friendly.
It already has both windsurfing and speedsurfing in the training activity list.
The battery life is close to a month (shorter when GPS is on during sport activity)
The app is awesome.
The data from Coros watches is officially recognized at speedsurfing website.

There's always a least one

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insight said..
I've just purchased a Garmin Fenix 6X. A bit bamboozled by how all this works frankly.

Is there a preferred app for use with windsurfing.
Many thanks

Using Andrew Haig's one and it's very good

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kato said..

insight said..
I've just purchased a Garmin Fenix 6X. A bit bamboozled by how all this works frankly.

Is there a preferred app for use with windsurfing.
Many thanks

Using Andrew Haig's one and it's very good

Andrew's (tbwonder) data field has great functionality, however it doesn't fix the inaccuracy of the Garmin GPS.

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John340 said..




Andrew's (tbwonder) data field has great functionality, however it doesn't fix the inaccuracy of the Garmin GPS.

Correct

People seem to decry the accuracy of the Garmin. I don't get that.

Several times I have gone out with Garmin 5X, Garmin 245 Music, GW-60, two Timex Ironman GPS watches, and XOSS G biking GPS, all strapped to the top of my helmet. Eastern Washington state Columbia Basin, latitude 47 deg N, on the bike over a 7 miles course, all in open country with no buildings or power poles or mountains, or even trees. I think this simulates our on-water conditions the best. Logging rates were 0.5 Hz on the Timex, 1 Hz on both Garmins and XOSS, and 5 Hz on the GW-60, with no use of "smart" or variable logging. Except for the GW-60, all save data to FIT files. K888 has commented that most watches likely collect speed data as doppler, and that the doppler speeds are recorded in the FIT files. Only the GW-60 reports HDOP data.

Using CALTOPO all of their tracks overlay each other to within a meter or two every time I have tried this. All report the same max speeds within 0.2 mph. So they are all equally inaccurate or equally accurate.

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segler said..
People seem to decry the accuracy of the Garmin. I don't get that.

Several times I have gone out with Garmin 5X, Garmin 245 Music, GW-60, two Timex Ironman GPS watches, and XOSS G biking GPS, all strapped to the top of my helmet. Eastern Washington state Columbia Basin, latitude 47 deg N, on the bike over a 7 miles course, all in open country with no buildings or power poles or mountains, or even trees. I think this simulates our on-water conditions the best. Logging rates were 0.5 Hz on the Timex, 1 Hz on both Garmins and XOSS, and 5 Hz on the GW-60, with no use of "smart" or variable logging. Except for the GW-60, all save data to FIT files. K888 has commented that most watches likely collect speed data as doppler, and that the doppler speeds are recorded in the FIT files. Only the GW-60 reports HDOP data.

Using CALTOPO all of their tracks overlay each other to within a meter or two every time I have tried this. All report the same max speeds within 0.2 mph. So they are all equally inaccurate or equally accurate.

Many GPSTC sailors in Australia use the Garmin with tbwonder's data field for on water feedback but the Mini Motion for posting. The Garmin can best be described as providing a guideline and is often up to 1knot different to the Motion for 2s and alpha.

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segler said..
People seem to decry the accuracy of the Garmin. I don't get that.

Several times I have gone out with Garmin 5X, Garmin 245 Music, GW-60, two Timex Ironman GPS watches, and XOSS G biking GPS, all strapped to the top of my helmet. Eastern Washington state Columbia Basin, latitude 47 deg N, on the bike over a 7 miles course, all in open country with no buildings or power poles or mountains, or even trees. I think this simulates our on-water conditions the best. Logging rates were 0.5 Hz on the Timex, 1 Hz on both Garmins and XOSS, and 5 Hz on the GW-60, with no use of "smart" or variable logging. Except for the GW-60, all save data to FIT files. K888 has commented that most watches likely collect speed data as doppler, and that the doppler speeds are recorded in the FIT files. Only the GW-60 reports HDOP data.

Using CALTOPO all of their tracks overlay each other to within a meter or two every time I have tried this. All report the same max speeds within 0.2 mph. So they are all equally inaccurate or equally accurate.

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segler said..
People seem to decry the accuracy of the Garmin. I don't get that.

Several times I have gone out with Garmin 5X, Garmin 245 Music, GW-60, two Timex Ironman GPS watches, and XOSS G biking GPS, all strapped to the top of my helmet. Eastern Washington state Columbia Basin, latitude 47 deg N, on the bike over a 7 miles course, all in open country with no buildings or power poles or mountains, or even trees. I think this simulates our on-water conditions the best. Logging rates were 0.5 Hz on the Timex, 1 Hz on both Garmins and XOSS, and 5 Hz on the GW-60, with no use of "smart" or variable logging. Except for the GW-60, all save data to FIT files. K888 has commented that most watches likely collect speed data as doppler, and that the doppler speeds are recorded in the FIT files. Only the GW-60 reports HDOP data.

Using CALTOPO all of their tracks overlay each other to within a meter or two every time I have tried this. All report the same max speeds within 0.2 mph. So they are all equally inaccurate or equally accurate.

Totally agree , but unfortunately a few gps sailors are obsessed with accuracy too 2 decimal points. GPSTC started out being fun and inclusive but I feel it's not changing with the times. If we aren't carefull the only people in the comp will be ones that can build there own GPS (I think Julian form motion is doing a fantastic job and a great product but if he shuts shop where are we then...)

Yes, of course. GPSTC has its own very specific requirements, and that's good. If, however, you just want on-water feedback and a decent way to archive your sessions, the Garmins and Timexes and Coroses and Apples and Androids and XOSSes (and many others) are just fine.

What I like is K888's belief (based on testing of several devices, including my Timex) that many, or maybe even most, watches log speed data as doppler and save such doppler-based data in their FIT files. As long as you avoid Strava for archiving (Strava uses only positional for speed and ignores speed data in the files), you can archive your speed data from (probably) doppler. In the case of Garmin, Connect does indeed archive speed data faithfully from the watch.

I think a separate site for approved devices is still good to have
Hopefully enough sailors continue to choose accuracy over convenience
But I do agree the number of persons willing is less by the day

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Freeflight said..
I think a separate site for approved devices is still good to have

www.gps-speedsurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=item&item=GPSInfo

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Freeflight said..
I think a separate site for approved devices is still good to have

www.gps-speedsurfing.com/default.aspx?mnu=item&item=GPSInfo

The Fenix is great to look at but ??????drive a truck through its errors compared to the GT. A lot of it is due to just being on your wrist. Great for a approx of how fast and it's perfect for the fitness bit.

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kato said..
The Fenix is great to look at but ??????drive a truck through its errors compared to the GT. A lot of it is due to just being on your wrist. Great for a approx of how fast and it's perfect for the fitness bit.

I smile when my wing friends tell me how fast they went after I saw them pumping their sail all afternoon (watch on their wrist).

If you want a peak GPS speed quoted to you down to the third decimal place, ask someone who's using an Apple watch how their day went.

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Paducah said..

kato said..
The Fenix is great to look at but ??????drive a truck through its errors compared to the GT. A lot of it is due to just being on your wrist. Great for a approx of how fast and it's perfect for the fitness bit.

I smile when my wing friends tell me how fast they went after I saw them pumping their sail all afternoon (watch on their wrist).

If you want a peak GPS speed quoted to you down to the third decimal place, ask someone who's using an Apple watch how their day went.

I had a samsung watch that would do that too with Strava. Totally wrong top speeds by a laughably large amount.

Sail Racer by me :)
8000 downloads, and almost 51 x 5 star reviews.
apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/1980c826-844a-47f7-9ca8-ffc0e09ba2ba


It was designed on the fenix 6X solar, and works fantastic.

It probably has everything you could possibly want, first 5 hours are free to try so fill your boots.