One more data point, not another screen

Anyone sailing with an already well-established set of onboard instruments — plotter, autopilot, multifunction display — is often wary of the idea of adding a new system. The question is always the same: do I have to learn another screen, another app, another interface? With SailSensor, once it is connected to the boat's NMEA2000 network, the answer is no: the differential pressure data read from the sails simply becomes part of the flow of information already running between your existing instruments.

NMEA2000 is the standard most modern boats use to let their sensors talk to each other — speed, depth, wind, autopilot, chartplotter — over a single data bus. Integrating SailSensor into it means no longer treating trim as a separate piece of information, and starting to treat it as a navigation parameter just like any other.

The role of SailSensor Bridge

The connection between the pressure sensors mounted on the sails and the boat's NMEA2000 network happens through SailSensor Bridge, the module designed specifically for this integration. The Bridge wirelessly receives data from the sensor pairs positioned on the sail and translates it into messages compatible with the NMEA2000 standard, making it readable by any plotter or display already installed on board.

📡 A bridge between two worlds

On one side the wireless BLE sensors fitted to the sail, on the other the boat's wired NMEA2000 network. SailSensor Bridge acts as an interpreter between the two systems, with no need to modify the existing wiring or any particular electronics skills.

What changes on the plotter

Once connected, the pressure differential read from the sail can appear as a dedicated page or custom data field on the plotter, alongside speed, apparent wind angle and heading. For the helmsman nothing changes in terms of habit: your eyes stay on the same screen you already use while sailing, with one extra piece of aerodynamic information available.

This is particularly useful with small crews, where it is not always possible to have someone dedicated to watching a separate device for trim: the information arrives wherever you are already looking.

Data logging and post-outing analysis

Many navigation systems with an NMEA2000 connection automatically log network data during an outing. By integrating SailSensor, the pressure differential becomes part of this log alongside wind, speed and heading, letting you replay the whole outing during debrief — not just where you sailed, but how the sail was trimmed at every point along the way.

📊 One log, more variables

Having sail pressure, wind and speed in the same log file removes the manual work of syncing different sources after an outing. Analysis becomes immediate, because all the data shares the same time reference.

Setting up the integration in 4 steps

Connecting SailSensor to your boat's NMEA2000 network requires a single initial setup:

1

Connect the Bridge

Fit SailSensor Bridge onto the existing NMEA2000 network using the standard connector, with no need to cut or modify any cables.

2

Pair the sensors

From the SailSensor app, connect the sensor pairs mounted on the sail to the newly installed Bridge module.

3

Configure the plotter

On your plotter, add the new data field coming from the NMEA2000 bus just as you would with any other sensor.

4

Sail integrated

The sail pressure data is now visible alongside your other instruments, ready to be read or logged while sailing.

Who this integration makes sense for

NMEA2000 integration is not essential for those who simply check the SailSensor app during an outing: that remains the most direct way to read the data in real time. It becomes valuable, however, for those who have already invested in a complete onboard instrument setup, for those racing with large crews where every station has its own display, or for those who want to build a single, consistent navigation log to re-analyse season after season.

In both cases, the same philosophy guides the whole SailSensor system: giving access to real aerodynamic data, measured by the onboard pressure sensors, in the most natural way possible for anyone sailing — whether on a new screen or on the one you already know. Those also using SailSensor BoomAngle can bring boom angle into the same data flow, for an even more complete picture of the trim.