Questions
Good to know.
Quick answers about how JibTrak works.
Coming soonAndroid phones and tablets
Coming sooniPhone and iPad, after Android
Coming soonGarmin Connect IQJibTrak, for the epix Pro (Gen 2)
Does it need the internet?
No. Planning, alerts and the watch link all work offline. Weather, tide downloads and port look-ups use the internet when you have it, and are simply skipped when you don’t.
Do I need an account?
No. There’s nothing to sign up for.
What does it cost?
JibTrak is free to use and has no adverts. Its rule is that the core job, planning and running your watches, never needs an account or a subscription. If you like it, you can stand us a drink from inside the app; that’s entirely optional. (A yacht club that publishes its races on this website does sign in, with a username and a password; crews and boats never do.)
What does it run on?
It’s being built for Android phones and tablets first, with iPhone, iPad and Windows versions planned. The Garmin companion is built for the epix Pro (Gen 2).
How does the rest of the crew see the plan?
Two ways. Switch on sharing and they can open the live plan in any web browser on the same WiFi, with no app needed. Or invite them into the app with a code or QR, so the plan and their own alerts are on their own phone. If the owner also switches on joining from anywhere, a new crew member can join with the invite wherever they are, without being on the same WiFi first.
Which handicap systems does it understand?
IRC (time-on-time) and PHRF (time-on-distance). Each boat in your directory has its own type and rating, so a mixed fleet works, and each class can have its own start time.
How accurate is the Scope?
It’s an aid to your own eyes, not an instrument. It draws what the corrected times predict, and you judge the real boat against it. If you measure with the two lines, it gives a distance with a plus-or-minus, and the further away the boat, the rougher that gets.
Is it only for racing?
No. It handles offshore races, round-the-marks races, regattas and day races, and it works just as well for delivery trips and long cruising passages.
Can I copy a race from my yacht club’s list?
Yes, if the club has published its races on this website (see Yacht clubs). In the app, open the Race calendar and choose Join a race from a yacht club, search for the club by name and pick the race. JibTrak copies the details, every class’s start, the club’s class ratings and the boats entered onto your phone, and then needs no connection. Only the words you search for and the race you pick are sent; nothing about you, your boat or your crew.
Where is my data?
On your phone. Crews and boats have no JibTrak account, and the only things kept online are scrambled records of the boat that only your crew’s invites and keys can open, so new crew can join and phones can keep in step from anywhere. We can’t read them. You can save a backup file whenever you like, and the app can keep a rolling backup in your Downloads folder. The privacy policy has the details.
Something we haven’t covered? Ask us.