Built by a sailor who needed it

The problem

AJ Sorensen wanted two things on the race course: a heading big enough to read at a glance while hiking, and a start timer that wouldn’t quit. He’d had timers fail in the middle of the start sequence at major regattas, leaving him guessing at the start, and dinghy compass displays were always smaller than he wanted.

From prototypes to your pocket

Before NavTactiq, AJ built a standalone compass and timer unit, going through many prototypes. They worked well, but he was never happy with the screen size. The breakthrough was realizing the best screen was already on the boat: every iPhone since the iPhone 12 is rated IP68 water resistant, and nearly every sailor carries one. Most of the sailors he races with use iPhones, so he wrote NavTactiq in Swift for iOS first. An Android version is on the way.

Who’s behind NavTactiq

NavTactiq is a one-person operation, and that person designed it, coded it, tested it, keeps updating it, and races with it himself. AJ brings:

• A lifetime on boats and on the water as a professional and competitive sailor, including multiple ILCA championships.
• US Sailing Level 3 coach certification.
• A USCG Near Coastal Master license.
• A chemical engineering degree from Clarkson University and years of iOS and macOS development.

He’s based in Milford, Connecticut, where NavTactiq is published by Sorensen on Sound LLC, the same company behind The Sailing Store. And yes, he’s a Pisces. Of course he ended up on the water.

What’s next

Coming soon: Android, a vertical split-screen mode, and fine-tuning controls for the tech-minded sailor. Any future feature that wouldn’t be class legal in some classes will be optional and can be switched off for racing.

Questions or ideas? Email andrew@sailing-store.com. AJ reads every message.