# Race Master Sail Timer + Speed — The ultimate sailing watch

> Sailing race timer, speed, and course monitoring app with Apple Watch integration. (iPhone/iPad app by Kewlanu AB.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/race-master-sail-timer-plus-speed/id995452178 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Kewlanu AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/1048251716)
- Category: Sports, Utilities
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 131 App Store ratings · 36 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 14.0 · 51 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Spanish, Swedish
- Released: 2015-07-02
- Data updated: 2026-09-02
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/race-master-sail-timer-plus-speed/id995452178/reviews.md

## What is Race Master Sail Timer + Speed?

Everybody knows that catching the start is essential in sailing. Finally there is a great Sailing Watch available for the iPhone and it works great with the Apple Watch.

This app provides a timer, speed and course monitoring with unique features and unparalleled ease of use for sail racing. When you hear or see a race signal just press Gun! - You can adjust if it is a 5, 4 or 1 minute warning afterwards!  And if it was just a loud noise from a flapping sail and not a race signal you can easily jump back to the previous timer.

It defaults to the standard ISAF 5,4,1,0 sequence but it can handle arbitrary countdown from 30 minutes down to 0

Now you can focus on other things like wind (directly in the app - simply configure your own favourite weather on the config page) and other boats potentially giving you yet another edge!

** Please read more on the info "i" page in the app **

You can enable GPS and get Speed over Ground (SOG) and Course over Ground (COG) presented next to the timer to help you keep track of wind and speed in the seconds before and after start. The Wind page shows a graph of COG and SOG which can help you track wind shifts.

It is designed to work on iPhone with or without Apple Watch and a lot of people seem to be using it with iPads as well.

TIP: On the Watch it is recommended that you (at least temporarily) activate Resume to Last Used App so that you just have to raise your wrist to get the time left:
Settings->General->Activate on Wrist Raise->Resume to: Last Used App

The iPhone application also contains a convenient reference to starting signals and customisable local weather information.

HealthKit integration:
The app provides limited HealthKit integration and can optionally start a Sailing Workout activity during race start.

Summary of Features:
* Simply the best countdown timer ever if you ask us :)
* Really good compass!
* Most of the feature work on Watch and  iPhone. Watch Series 2 needed for GPS without iPhone nearby.
* Current Course and Speed Over Ground based on GPS
* GPS based distance to line (still being tuned but works - within limits of GPS accuracy)
* Speed up / Slow down estimate for time to get to line
* History plot of Course and Speed Over Ground that allow you to track wind shifts
* Prevalent headings - advanced formula lists common headings to help identify windshifts
* Man Over Board function - it shows time, distance and compass bearing to the location the button was pressed (NOTE: intended as a secondary non life critical aid only) 
* ISAF Race Signals reference - to help settle what that strange flag shown on the race committee means before the race starts...
* Choice of Magnetic or True course indication
* Lock function to prevent unwanted changes

NOTE: Please check the "i" page in the app for more info

This app offers 2 in app subscriptions to 1) support continued development and 2) to enable certain features:
• Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase
• Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period
• Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal
• Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase
• Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable

Please review our Terms of Service:
http://www.kewlanu.com/tos

DISCLAIMER: If you enable the GPS feature the app runs in the background for a limited time before it disables GPS.

"Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life."

## Key features

- Adjustable countdown timer
- Speed and course monitoring
- Wind shift tracking
- Compass
- Man Over Board function
- ISAF Race Signals reference

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gold | $2.99 | per month |
| Silver | $2.99 | per 3 months |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 36)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/race-master-sail-timer-plus-speed/id995452178/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Adjust timer

*2026-08-31, version 4.5.3*

How do I adjust the time for 3 minutes for dinghy starts?

### 3/5 — Watch Double-pinch feature?

*2026-01-31, version 4.5.3*

I use this app while sailing my OTB catamaran, so often wet and using both hands. With Apples Double-pinch feature now on their watch (double-touch thumb & forefinger), this would be an amazing feature to add to the GUN so I can start/sync the countdown timer for a race start. With wet hands/screen tapping the watch face doesn’t always work. 
Thoughts on adding this feature?

### 1/5 — Apple Watch - countdown freezes

*2025-08-28*

Countdown timer freezes constantly on Apple Watch.

**Developer response:** Please check that you have enabled location/GPS access to allow background updates and that you are displaying an advanced timer part of Silver or higher for best experience.

### 2/5 — it’s great except for one thing

*2025-08-13*

i love this app, but when i hit finish and close the app, i don’t want it magically reopening and hijacking my watch and phone. 

i force close the app? doesn’t matter, it just loads up again even though i’m miles away from the water. 

the alerts, the syncing, readouts… i love it all. just please stop with the unwanted reopening of the app. 

add a button that says something like “done racing for the day?” and the app stays closed until the next time i open it. 

it’s so annoying i’ve deleted app until this is fixed. this unwanted feature broke me. i’m done

**Developer response:** I am sorry to hear of your issue and happy to hear about the parts you like! Please use ”No more racing…” - you can find it in the Settings page in the app - hopefully it helps solve your issue - please give the app another chance!

### 1/5 — Can’t seem to close the app once running

*2025-07-13, version 4.5.3*

The app does the job, but I can’t seem to close it on the Apple Watch, and it drains the battery quickly

### 2/5 — Could be good

*2024-10-20, version 4.3.0*

Same issue as Soldout2running. It used to be good but now the start line feature doesn’t work for the Silver subscription (although from the description it looks like it should) I’m cancelling my subscription. A shame.

### 3/5 — Can’t turn it off

*2024-09-01, version 4.3.0*

I like it but it doesn’t have an off switch as far as I can see. Uses up too much power. Help!

### 3/5 — Phenomenal Potential but…

*2024-08-25*

I used this a couple of years ago so I could count down the time for race starts and it worked well and it was free so expectations matched.  Just purchased a silver subscription expecting a distance and time to the line.  I also expected to be able to drive by Race Committee boat and pin of the line and ping each end but was surprised to find out those functions were not in my subscription.  This is potentially a 5 star app if pinging the line, distance and time to line were included. Unfortunately they are not with silver subscription.  Please include those functions and it would be a great inexpensive app for every weekly sail boat racer.  I would pay for the gold subscription at $2.99 a month but am afraid I won’t get what I need and it will be too late once I’ve already paid.  Therefore, I recommend a 7 day free trial so subscribers can test out the functions before fully committing to paying monthly or quarterly.  Again, great potential and a large number of boats with antiquated chart plotters need your app.  I look forward to seeing it developed fully.

**Developer response:** Thank you for your review! I will add a section on this, meanwhile please ensure you have enabled Location for the app in iPhone Settings and please reach out via email.

Stay safe and have fun sailing!

### 4/5 — Mostly good

*2024-08-22, version 4.3.0*

I downloaded this app because of the watch app and it’s mostly good and has improved over the years. The one very bothersome aspect is if you hit the Action button on the Ultra by accident or if you just want to close the app, it keeps relaunching itself, even after a forced close. I would have given it five stars if not for this.

### 3/5 — Nice Timer Function; But That’s It

*2024-07-21*

I’ve used the app for timing regatta starts for over a year and was curious about using the other features so upgraded to Gold for a few months and about a dozen races this summer. Unfortunately I found the other features glitchy and unintuitive. 

For example, if you keep the timer visible to monitor SOG and COG the other features are buried on a separate menu page making it a clumsy process to get to while racing; potentially useful stuff like wind shift and Live Map are hard to read and sometimes don’t show up. 

There’s no real description or information on a lot of the features or how to use them. For example what is the difference between the Compass feature and the Smart View?  And why can’t I use True North instead of magnetic?  

Dropping marks is also a challenge, the Race History sometimes works sometime not. The Stop Racing process is a joke as is the always on location tracking. Yes I know I can use Siri to do it. But I don’t want to. 

Honestly, it’s a great feature set, and  I tried hard to use the upgraded Gold features but I feel that they were dumped into the app and not rigorously tested on the water in actual regattas.  

I’m giving Race Master 3 stars since the Timer function  is very good and I plan to keep using it, but I cancelled the Gold subscription and cannot currently recommend it.

**Developer response:** Thank you for a thoughtful review. The SmartView is intended as a start at trying to address one of the challenges you highlight; it will automatically change view depending on if you are pre-start or not. Under Settings in the app there is a possibility to change the setting for “Magnetic Heading” (when disabled, COG is relative to true north). I’ll keep refining the app, maybe someday it may work better for your needs. ⛵️

## Frequently asked questions about Race Master Sail Timer + Speed

### What does the Race Master Sail Timer + Speed app do?

This app is designed for sail racing and provides a countdown timer, speed over ground (SOG), and course over ground (COG) monitoring. It helps sailors catch the start signal, track wind shifts, and monitor their performance during races. It also includes features like a compass and a Man Over Board function.

### What are the key features of this sailing app?

Key features include an adjustable countdown timer with ISAF race signal sequences, GPS-based speed and course monitoring, a history plot for tracking wind shifts, a compass, a Man Over Board function, and a reference for ISAF race signals. It also offers customizable local weather information.

### How much does the Race Master Sail Timer + Speed app cost?

The app offers two in-app subscriptions to support development and enable certain features. Payment is charged to your iTunes Account upon purchase confirmation. Specific pricing for these subscriptions can be found within the app.

### What devices is this app compatible with?

The app is designed to work on iPhone with or without an Apple Watch. Many users also utilize it on iPads. For GPS functionality on the Apple Watch without an iPhone nearby, an Apple Watch Series 2 or later is required.

### How can this app help me during a sailing race?

The app helps you precisely catch the race start with its countdown timer and provides real-time speed and course data to help you navigate and anticipate wind shifts. The compass and Man Over Board function offer additional navigational aids, and the ISAF signal reference clarifies race signals.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.5.3 — 2025-07-12

Fix for watch mark handling

### 4.5.2 — 2025-06-17

Bugfix for when deleting a race in old history view

### 4.5.1 — 2025-06-11

Crashes? Not nice! Somehow they snuck in, and now a number are fixed...

### 4.5.0 — 2025-05-04

UI updates and code updates for watchOS 11 and iOS 18
Note: Force press is no longer available for Watch - several pages support "long press" instead
Specific Start timing adjustment
Big rewrite under the hood. Hopefully all issues have been ironed out
Let's go try it on the sea! Good Luck!

### 4.3.0 — 2024-06-07

Miles per hour? Or meters per second? Now covered!
New Live Map page - a bit easier to jump in during racing
Fixed an issue with setting initial map location for Location/Race History

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## More apps by Kewlanu AB

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All apps by Kewlanu AB: https://appshunter.io/developer/1048251716

## Related topics

[sailing racing](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sailing-racing) · [sailing speed](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sailing-speed) · [sailing timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sailing-timer) · [watch sailing timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/watch-sailing-timer) · [us sailing racing rules](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/us-sailing-racing-rules) · [sailing timer tactical](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/sailing-timer-tactical)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*