About MAX VMG Racing
MAX VMG Racing uses interactive simulations and performance models to help sailors understand how wind, sailing angles, boat speed, and manoeuvres affect race performance.
Choose a boat and a wind challenge, then sail against a Ghost Boat that follows the same performance rules as your boat while selecting the optimal course. By experimenting with different decisions, you can see where distance is gained or lost and develop a more intuitive understanding of VMG.
Crew Rank
Complete challenges to earn your place aboard — from Rail Meat to Skipper.
| Rank | Crew role | What it says about you | How to earn it |
|---|
Sailing Takeaways
The rules of thumb behind the Learning Points on your results page.
| Point | Golden rule | Description |
|---|
What VMG means
VMG stands for velocity made good. It measures how quickly a boat is making progress in a useful direction—not simply how fast the boat is moving through the water.
VMG to Wind measures progress directly upwind or downwind. VMG to Mark measures progress toward the next mark. The fastest route is not always the shortest route, and the highest boat speed does not always produce the best VMG.
What you can do
- Explore different boats. Each boat has its own target speeds, sailing angles, and manoeuvring characteristics.
- Sail realistic wind challenges. Practise in steady wind, persistent shifts, oscillating shifts, mixed conditions, and high winds.
- Race the Ghost Boat. Compare your decisions with a boat that reacts instantly and sails the optimal course without exceeding your boat’s performance.
- Experiment with sailing angles. See how sailing higher or lower changes boat speed and VMG.
- Practise tactical decisions. Learn when to tack or gybe and how wind shifts affect the best route around the course.
- Review your performance. Use the instruments, course display, and Ghost comparison to understand where you gained or lost distance.
How the simulations work
The simulations use boat-specific performance data, including target speeds, beat and gybe angles, VMG targets, and manoeuvring times. Wind conditions are modeled using steady, persistent, oscillating, and mixed shifts.
Both you and the Ghost Boat experience the same conditions and follow the same boat-performance model. The difference is in the decisions made on the course.
MAX VMG Racing is in active development. New boats, challenges, coaching features, and performance-analysis tools will be added as the simulator evolves.
Interested in sponsoring MAX VMG Racing? Contact Lindsay McRory at [email protected].