Huge digits, audible countdown and one-swipe sync, with your compass back on screen the moment the gun goes.
NavTactiq’s developer, AJ Sorensen, had start timers fail in the middle of the sequence at major regattas, leaving him guessing at the start. The NavTactiq timer is the one he built so that never happens again: big enough to read while you’re fighting for a hole on the line, loud enough to hear, and quick to sync with a single swipe.
Because the timer lives inside a magnetic-only sailing compass, you get both instruments in one app, on a screen you already carry.
Most fleet racing uses the Racing Rules of Sailing rule 26 sequence: a warning signal at 5 minutes, preparatory signal at 4, one-minute signal at 1, and the start at 0. Many clubs, frostbite fleets and team racing events use shorter 3-minute sequences to keep races moving. NavTactiq covers both, plus 2-minute, 1-minute and custom countdowns for practice starts and coaching drills.
A good start is more than timing. Before the sequence, sail down the line and note its bearing, then check head-to-wind to see which end is favored. With the compass and timer in one app, you can keep checking the shifts right up to the warning signal and be on your numbers the second the countdown ends.
NavTactiq has 5:00, 3:00, 2:00 and 1:00 countdowns and custom times. In a 5-minute sequence you can sync to the 5, 4 and 1-minute signals; in sequences of 3 minutes or less you can sync to sound signals down to 30 seconds. When the timer reaches zero, the app switches straight back to the compass.
Long-press the compass screen to open the timer, then tap the screen on the signal to start the countdown. Swipe right to sync up and swipe left to sync down. Audible alerts count you down so you can keep your eyes on the line.
NavTactiq switches straight back to the compass, so your heading is on screen the moment you start racing.