Important: In the installation instructions for Android, please make sure you read the notes about disabling (!!) the Android setting “Improve Location Accuracy”!
If this setting is not disabled, tracking on Android will not work reliably.
Regatta Hero is a comprehensive system for organizing, conducting, tracking, and scoring regattas or regatta series. Sailors, race officers, and buoy layers use a smartphone app. Spectators can follow the regatta through a webpage, either in real-time or as a replay.
A smartphone is ideal for Regatta Hero because it includes all the necessary hardware components, such as a screen, speaker, GPS module, and cellular connection. Additionally, smartphones are available starting at €60, so you don't need to use an expensive smartphone; you can purchase a second device specifically for regatta use. If the device is lost or damaged, it is not financially devastating.
The smartphone app for sailors is easy to use. After installation, you enter your boat data (including the handicap number) once and activate tracking with a single button.
Regatta Hero in the Apple App Store
Before you start using Regatta Hero on the iOS operating system, you should optionally disable the “Improve Location Accuracy” setting once in the Apple smartphone’s settings!
Otherwise, there is a risk that iOS will not determine the actual position of the smartphone, but instead will use the position of the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot.
Note: If you don’t disable the “Improve Location Accuracy” option now, you can still do it later — but it’s best to take care of it right away!
However, this note only applies from iOS 18.4 and newer versions of the Apple operating system, because this new option was introduced for the first time in 18.4.
You can find it in the smartphone settings under Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → System Services → Product Improvement.
The image shows the enabled “Improve Location Accuracy” option. But this option should now be DISABLED.
Only after that should you begin with the actual installation of the Regatta Hero app. But here is once again the explanation why this option should be disabled:
Background info: The “Improve Location Accuracy” option is well-intentioned by Apple, but on the water this “optimization” may produce erratic results, because Wi-Fi signals from far-away hotspots (e.g., on shore or from other boats) can be picked up.
And the GPS position of the hotspot is contained in the metadata of the Wi-Fi signals. iOS may then incorrectly use this as the smartphone’s location.
Warning: This error can occur even if Wi-Fi has been disabled.
You can find the app in the Apple App Store using the following link:
or by searching for “Regatta Hero.”
After installation, launch the app. On the first launch, the following welcome screen is displayed.
Select your preferred language, review the license terms and privacy policy, and confirm that you will carry your smartphone on your body (e.g., in or under a life jacket or on your upper arm) during the regatta.
Background Information: This is particularly important in low-wind or low-wave conditions to ensure the smartphone detects sufficient motion (acceleration). Otherwise, the smartphone's operating system may stop capturing new GPS locations for power-saving reasons.
You must also confirm that you will set the GPS access permissions for Regatta Hero to allow location access always.
Background info: The “Allow always” setting is necessary so that the app can record your smartphone’s location even when it is not running in the foreground. However, Regatta Hero will only send your smartphone’s location data to the server when tracking — that is, your participation in the regatta — has been explicitly activated by you. Otherwise, no location data will be transmitted.
If both notices have been confirmed, the screen will appear as follows. At that point, the “Accept” button will also be enabled.
Finally, click "Accept" and select "Enter Login Data" on the subsequent screen.
Enter the organization name and passcode in the dialog that appears. The race officer knows the passcodes for each role (e.g., participant, buoy layer, or race officer). All participants use the same passcode.
Click "OK" and then "Login." Ensure you log in outdoors, as the app will search for GPS satellites.
Upon initial login, the app will request permission to access the smartphone's GPS location. Two consecutive dialogs will appear.
In the first dialog, allow location access "Allow While Using App."
The second dialog will ask for permission to always allow location access. Change to "Always Allow."
Background Information: This permission is crucial because the app must transmit GPS locations even when running in the background (e.g., when another app is in the foreground or the lock screen is active) while tracking mode is enabled during the regatta.
Note: If the process of enabling location sharing takes a bit longer, you might encounter the following error message. Don’t worry—this is not a problem.
Simply confirm the error message by clicking "OK" and press the "Login" button again. The location permission request has already been completed, and the app will log in after a few seconds.
If the error message appears again, either the login credentials are incorrect, or you are not outdoors. In all other cases, you should now be logged in.
If you enter the participant passcode, you will see the following screen:
When entering the race officer's passcode, you will see the following screen:
This completes the initial setup process. The selection of a regatta and the entry of registration data are explained in the chapter The App for the Sailor.
Background info: The first login process is complex due to the location permission setup. The good news is that during subsequent logins, you will directly access the menu shown above without any additional prompts.
Before you can start using Regatta Hero on an Android device, you must disable the "Improve location accuracy" setting on your Android smartphone once during the initial setup!
If this setting is not disabled, Android may determine your location not based on your actual GPS position, but based on the location of the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot.
Note: If you do not disable the "Improve location accuracy" option now, you can do it later. However, it is strongly recommended to do it right away.
Therefore, please perform the following steps first. To do this, you need to open the Settings app on your Android smartphone.
At the top of the Settings screen, there is a search field. Please search for the term “Location accuracy.” The following result will appear:
When you select the search result "Location accuracy" (or depending on the Android version, first "Location services" and then "Location accuracy"), the following view will open:
The option “Improve location accuracy” must be disabled!
By default, this option is often enabled. But for Regatta Hero the switch must be turned off! It should then look as follows:
Only after disabling this option should you proceed with the actual installation of the Regatta Hero app.
Background Info: Google’s "Improve Location Accuracy" option is well-intentioned, but on the water this "optimization" often produces erratic results. This is because devices can pick up signals from distant Wi-Fi hotspots—such as those located on shore or on other boats.
The metadata of these Wi-Fi signals contains the GPS position of the hotspot, which Android then incorrectly uses as the location of the smartphone. As a result, the actual position on the water is misinterpreted and displayed inaccurately.
Important: This error can occur even if Wi-Fi is turned off on your device!
After the “Improve Location Accuracy” option has been disabled, you can find the app in the Android Play Store using the following link:
Regatta Hero in the Play Store
or by searching for “Regatta Hero.”
Once the installation is complete, start the app. On first launch, the following welcome screen will be displayed.
Select your preferred language, review the license terms and privacy policy, and confirm that you will carry your smartphone on your body (e.g., in or under a life jacket or on your upper arm) during the regatta.
Background Information: This is particularly important in low-wind or low-wave conditions to ensure the smartphone detects sufficient motion (acceleration). Otherwise, the smartphone's operating system may stop capturing new GPS locations for power-saving reasons.
You must also confirm that you will set the GPS access permissions for Regatta Hero to allow location access always.
Background info: The “Allow always” setting is necessary so that the app can record your smartphone’s location even when it is not running in the foreground. However, Regatta Hero will only send your smartphone’s location data to the server when tracking — that is, your participation in the regatta — has been explicitly activated by you. Otherwise, no location data will be transmitted.
In the dialog where you set the GPS permission to “Always allow,” you will also find the option “Use precise location” further down. This option is enabled by default and should remain enabled.
However—as explained in the previous chapter, and to avoid confusion—the option “Improve location accuracy” must be disabled.
To ensure these that you are aware that these settings must configured correctly, you must explicitly confirm both of these notices as well.
Only after all four notices have been confirmed will the screen appear as shown below. At that point, the “Accept” button will be enabled.
In the next step, press the “Accept” button and then select the option “Enter login data” on the following screen.
Enter the organization name and passcode in the dialog that appears. The race officer knows the passcodes for each role (e.g., participant, buoy layer, or race officer). All participants use the same passcode.
Click "OK" and then "Login." Ensure you log in outdoors, as the app will search for GPS satellites.
When logging in for the first time, the app will request permission to access the smartphone’s GPS location.
Note: On Android this procedure requires to understand and to react on three consecutive dialogs. Therefore it is very important to read the prompts carefully and follow these instructions precisely.
Press the "Login" button now. In the next step, the operating system will prompt you to allow the app to access the device's location. Choose the option "While using the app".
Next, you’ll see a second dialog. It is partly in German but also in English. This dialog informs you that you need to change location access in the smartphones settings page. Select the option "Einstellungen öffnen / Open Settings".
When pressing "Open Settings", a third dialog will appear where you must configure the permission. Select "Allow all the time", and ensure that "Use precise location" is also enabled.
Once all three dialogs have been completed, the system will log in. If granting GPS access took too long, an error message like the one shown below may appear.
Simply confirm the error message with "OK" and press the "Login" button again. The location permission request is already complete, and the app will log in after a few seconds.
If the error message appears again, either the login credentials are incorrect, or you are not outdoors. In all other cases, you should now be logged in.
If you entered the participant passcode, you will see the following screen:
If you entered the race officer's passcode, you will see the following screen:
This completes the initial setup process. The selection of a regatta and the entry of registration data are explained in the chapter The App for the Sailor.
Background info: The first login process is complex due to the location permission setup. The good news is that during subsequent logins, you will directly access the menu shown above without any additional prompts.
PS: The complex setup process for location permissions on Android is somewhat cumbersome. Unfortunately, app developers have no way of simplifying this as it is a feature of the operating system.
Once the setup of the app is complete, start the app and select the regatta you wish to participate in. In our example, this would be the "Demo Regatta," which was automatically set up when a new organization was created.
Before participating in a regatta, the registration data must be entered once when using the app for the first time. To do this, click on the "Edit Registration Data" option. You will then see the following screen.
Note: If you click on "Join Regatta" and have not yet entered registration data, you will also be directed to this screen.
Now, enter the sail number (or, if not available, another unique identifier, such as the boat or team name). Then, in the following fields, enter the team name, the boat class, the handicap value (or Yardstick value for Yardstick regattas), as well as the club and boat name.
If you want to participate in the regatta immediately after entering the data, select the option "Participate in the Regatta". Otherwise, simply click the "Back" button.
In both cases, the registration data will be saved and available for all future regattas.
If you choose the "Participate in the Regatta" option from the main menu or the registration data screen, the app will enter tracking mode, and you will see the following screen.
Note: In tracking mode, the title bar is no longer blue but orange. This clearly indicates whether the app is ready for regatta participation or not.
In the top line, it will first display which course the race director has selected for the current race. Below that, the start countdown is shown. If the race has not yet started, "--:--" will appear here.
Below the countdown display, up to 4 flag signals are shown, e.g., the announcement, preparatory, or class flag, as well as other signals that may be displayed according to the race rules during or after the start.
Below the flag signals, a series of information is provided for the sailor. The first line shows the distance to the next mark or the start/finish line. The distance is given in nautical miles. Additionally, the bearing to the next mark is shown. For the start/finish line, this is the bearing to the middle of the line.
Below that, the current GPS position is shown in decimal degrees of longitude and latitude. Then, the current speed in knots is displayed, as well as the distance traveled since the start signal.
Note: The above data may not be visible if the race director has disabled the display of these data in the regatta options.
The final line with the info "GPS" and "Server" is always displayed. The "GPS" info indicates how many milliseconds ago the smartphone's operating system received the last GPS signal.
If this value remains over 2000 milliseconds, the smartphone's GPS reception is disturbed. Either the reception is impaired by the mast and sails, or the smartphone has detected no movement and, for energy-saving reasons, interrupted the GPS reception.
The time next to the "Server" info indicates when the app last had a mobile connection to the server. Regatta Hero can handle mobile interruptions between the start and finish line, even for extended periods. Only at the start and finish must there be a mobile connection.
Note: If a "Delta" field appears, the smartphone's time is not correctly set. The "Delta" field will show how big the difference in milliseconds is.
Regatta Hero stores the registration data you enter under the name of the boat. Each new boat name you enter creates a separate boat profile. On the following screen, when you tap the boat name, a dropdown list appears. This list shows all previously saved boat profiles as well as the option “New...”
You can either select an existing boat profile or choose “New...” to create a new profile.
Note: If you select “New...”, a blank form for entering the new boat data will appear both when you tap “Edit registration data” and when you tap “Participate as.”
If you want to change the registration data (e.g., a boat or team change), you can use the "Edit Registration Data" menu item in the main menu.
Note: Registration data can only be edited if the Regatta participation mode is not active.
To delete a boat profile, open the “Edit Registration Data” screen, simply clear the “Boat Name” field, and then tap “Back.”
You can find the complete Regatta Hero manual at the following link. It also includes troubleshooting information for exotic Android smartphones:
And the Regatta Hero website is available at this link: