[BarryL]

Hey,

If you have the budget you should get a real plotter, not a handheld that runs on batteries. Defender is having a sale on the B&G Zeus Touch 7. This has the sailsteer software that was referred to above. The unit is under $600. You will probably spend a little more once you add all the wiring, brackets, etc. Do you have wind, speed, and other instruments? If they are relatively new they will interface to the B&G unit too.

My Garmin 740 interfaces to my Raymarine ST60 instruments so I can get true / apparent wind, distance, course, and time to the mark, etc.

Of course you don't NEED any of that stuff to race but it doesn't hurt and having that information can help determine the favored side, help you see wind shifts, etc.

Link to Defender:
B & G Zeus Touch T7 Touchscreen, Multifunction Display

When I race on a friend's boat I used to bring my Garmin 78 with me. I had the race marks loaded so I could determine time to the mark, bearing, etc. Then in one race we had the chute up too long, tried to jibe and got knocked down. That was the last time I saw the Garmin unit

Barry