Using Technology to Get Boats on the Water

Portsmouth, RI (November 16, 2016) – US Sailing, the national governing body of the sport of sailing, and SAP SE, a market leader in enterprise application software, announced a multi-year partnership that designates SAP as the Official Technology Partner and Cloud Solutions Provider of US Sailing.

The initial phase of the partnership has focused on increasing access to offshore racing in the U.S. by simplifying the process for boat owners to get on the starting line. It is the goal to provide data and analytics to competitive sailors to help them better prepare and perform during races.

Earlier this year, SAP and US Sailing collaborated to develop and implement a first of its kind online platform, Universal Certification System (UCS), which simplifies the processes around ratings certificate applications and management for sailors, and the creation of a live-tracking and analytics mobile app, SAP Sail InSight that provides sailors and teams with valuable data for post-race analysis.

The UCS, rolled out for the first time during the 2016 sailing season, is a tool that enables users to help manage boat information and submit rating certificate requests and payments entirely online. Prior to the digital transformation of the certification system, racers had to submit certificate requests via mail, fax or over the phone.

Seeking to speed up the process and make the overall management of certificates more efficient, this transition to the online certification system was made possible by SAP technology, including SAP HANA Cloud Platform, SAP Cloud ID Service and SAP Fiori Design.

Additional benefits of the UCS include the simplification of the process for handicap sailboat ratings and boats that race under multiple rules, as well as more visibility into the overall measurement and ratings process for all boat owners, measurers, race organizers, sail lofts and crews. The UCS is being utilized for big boat sailing as well as ORR (Offshore Racing Rule) certificates.

SAP Sail InSight, available for iPhone, iPad and Android phones, uses a connection to the SAP Sailing Analytics solution and allows sailboat racers to manage their regatta participation and performance anywhere and anytime, providing sailors and teams with valuable information for post-race analysis.

Users download the app on their smartphone and record GPS tracks while out on the water, calculating racing results and other valuable data for post-race review and analysis. SAP Sail InSight is being beta-tested by US Sailing and SAP at select racing events, with the first test by hundreds of users at the Sperry Charleston Race Week this past April. We will continue to test SAP Sail InSight throughout 2017 at select regattas around the country.

“We are excited to unveil our partnership with US Sailing and new technology for the sailing community that will help the sport grow,” said Stefan Lacher, Head of Sponsorship Technology, SAP. “We’ve been active in the sport of sailing around the world since 2009, and are leveraging our experience and expertise to help the U.S. sailing community increase efficiencies and leverage data-driven insights.”

“An important initiative for US Sailing is to expand access to offshore racing and focus on developing new strategies that increase participation,” said Jack Gierhart, Executive Director, US Sailing. “The user-friendly UCS platform drastically lowers the hurdles for new racers to get involved, and through SAP technology, we are now able to streamline the process and empower sailors and boat owners to make better decisions about their boats.”

US Sailing and SAP will be releasing more details about product developments, updates and availability in 2017.

Source: US Sailing