Much more than sensors on the sail
When SailSensor comes up, the mind goes straight to the pressure sensors placed on the sail surface — the heart of the system. But the SailSensor platform was designed as an extended ecosystem, able to gather and integrate data from multiple sources to give the sailor a complete picture of what is happening on board.
Besides the pressure distribution on the sails, the system can directly measure a range of quantities that are fundamental to sailing: SOG speed, heel angle, wind data and the load on sheets and halyards. All of this through dedicated wireless devices, designed to integrate seamlessly into the SailSensor ecosystem.
The boom angle sensor
The position of the boom is a key piece of information for understanding the trim of the mainsail and the adjustments being made. The SailSensor boom angle sensor is a compact, self-contained wireless device, already available and currently undergoing field testing. It detects in real time the inclination and rotation of the boom relative to the boat's axis.
This data, correlated with the pressure information on the sail and the wind data, makes it possible to build a far more accurate picture of the actual sail configuration. The sailor can thus check whether the boom angle is consistent with the wind conditions and compare different settings over time.
Wireless and independent: like all SailSensor components, the boom angle sensor requires no wiring. It is installed in seconds and communicates directly with the app, without interfering with manoeuvres on board.
The NMEA bridge: connecting to the onboard instruments
A modern sailing boat already has a set of instruments that record valuable data: speed, depth, wind direction and strength, GPS course and much more. This data typically travels over the NMEA protocol, the standard of marine electronics.
The SailSensor NMEA bridge, currently under development and coming soon, is the component that will bridge the world of onboard instruments and the SailSensor ecosystem. Communication will be bidirectional:
From the boat to the app: the bridge reads the data available on the boat's NMEA network — apparent and true wind, water speed and GPS, depth, temperature, course — and makes it available in the SailSensor app. The sailor thus sees all the navigation parameters alongside the aerodynamic data of the sails, in a single interface.
From the app to the boat: the app sends the data processed by the SailSensor system to the bridge, which converts it into NMEA format and makes it available for display on the onboard screen. In this way, SailSensor information can also be consulted on the instruments already installed on the boat, without having to look at a smartphone or tablet.
This bidirectional approach will turn SailSensor from an isolated system into an integral part of the onboard instrumentation, enriching both the app and the existing displays with data that would otherwise not be available.
The sheet and halyard load sensor
The tension applied to sheets and halyards is one of the most important parameters in sail trim, but also one of the hardest to quantify objectively. Traditionally, the sailor relies on the feel of the hands and on experience to judge whether the tension is right.
The SailSensor load sensor, under development and coming soon, will measure the actual load on sheets and halyards in real time, transmitting the data to the app wirelessly. This will make it possible to:
- Make trimming objective — move from a subjective assessment to a precise, repeatable numerical value
- Compare configurations — record the optimal tension for different wind conditions and points of sail, creating a reference for subsequent outings
- Prevent overloads — monitor that loads stay within the safety limits of the rig and rigging
- Correlate tension and performance — analyse the relationship between sheet tension, sail profile and boat speed
The wireless anemometer
Wind is the central element of all sailing. Knowing its direction and strength accurately is essential for every trimming decision. The SailSensor wireless anemometer, currently under development, will be designed to integrate natively into the ecosystem, providing wind data directly to the app without depending on the boat's existing instruments.
This will be particularly useful for boats that do not have an anemometer installed, or for those who want an additional wind sensor that can be placed more flexibly. The data will integrate automatically with the other SailSensor measurements, contributing to the overall analysis of the sail trim.
A complete picture of the measurable data
Putting all the components of the ecosystem together, the SailSensor system is able to measure directly — or acquire from the onboard instruments via the NMEA bridge — a very broad set of quantities:
To these are added all the data made available by the boat's NMEA network: depth, water temperature, course, water speed and any other quantity transmitted by the onboard instruments.
The integration that makes the difference
The real value of this ecosystem lies not in the individual components, but in their integration. When the pressure data on the sail is correlated with the boom angle, the sheet tension, the wind and the boat speed, a picture emerges that no single instrument could provide.
The SailSensor app is the convergence point of all this information: it displays it clearly, records it for post-sail analysis and — thanks to the NMEA bridge — feeds it back to the onboard displays as well. The result is a system that does not replace existing instruments, but completes and enriches them with data that simply was not available before.
A modular, growing ecosystem: every SailSensor component can be added progressively. You start with the sensors on the sail and the boom angle sensor (already available in the testing phase), then expand the system with the NMEA bridge, the load sensor and the wireless anemometer as they become available. An ecosystem that grows together with the sailor's needs.