GPS Speedsailing Watches – for Windsurf, Kiteboard and Wing Foiling

About this website : from 2006 until 2014 we sold the best GPS speedsailing products to the UK’s fastest speedsailors. Devices developed specifically for the accurate measurement of windsurfing / kiteboarding speed. We dealt with several brands including Velocitek, Garmin and Locosys. Things have moved on considerably since then and the choice of water-resistant GPS watches with the ability to measure sailing speed is HUGE. This site is dedicated to those SPEEDSAILORS who want to sail faster than the rest. Thank you for visiting – Tristan Haskins (max speed 43.5 knots)

The best GPS watch for Speedsurfing

I have been a huge fan of the Garmin Fenix range for many years and I still am. The problem with the Garmin devices is the GPS data isn’t recognized / accepted for national records or professional competition by GP3S. For recreational sailing and local competition with friends it’s still a great choice. However, for serious competition and GPS track data accuracy accepted at all levels of competition – it has to the the COROS APEX PRO. I still wear my Garmin Fenix for windsurfing (not competition), running, kayaking, cycling etc. When competing, which is rare, I wear my old Locosys GT31. But no need for TWO devices – with the COROS APEX PRO you have one watch that does everything 🤙

Update July 2023 – I now use the Garmin Instinct 2 for all my sports from Stand Up Paddleboarding, windsurfing and dinghy racing – to – running, mountain biking and circuit training. I will be adding a page dedicated to the Instinct 2 shortly.

Coros, Suunto, Garmin for recreational speedsailing.

If you just want to have fun racing mates, uploading tracks to STRAVA or even GPS-SPEEDSURFING.com, then most modern smartwatches are fine. I lean towards the more robust OUTDOOR watches by companies like Suunto and Garmin. These timepieces can take a serious pounding – even crashing at 45 knots. I wear a Garmin Fenix 5 with a dedicated GPS WINDSURF datafield set (more about that here)

However – and this is important – if you want to upload your speed for National / International Competition or Records to GPS-SPEEDSURFING.com it’s best to use an APPROVED GPS unit – at this moment that is one of the following:

• Coros Apex Pro (a modern GPS multisport watch) – if you bike, run, gym, hike, yoga as well as speedsail – get this one.
• Locoys GW60 (wrist worn) – a great watch introduced in 2016 still favoured by many speedsailors. Great – but highly specified for speedsailing with no modern smartwatch functionality (eg heart rate, steps etc).
• Locosys GT31 (worn on bicep) – still works, but old WIRED tech for upload … I’d give this a miss unless you like RETRO.

Coros Apex Pro GPS multisport watch

Thanks to my windsurfing friend and expert slalom / speedsailor, Michael George for this update. Mike introduced me to the COROS range of GPS watches. That’s why I have to recommend the COROS Apex Pro GPS watch for all water-sport enthusiasts looking for the best and easiest to use sports watch. It does everything the Locosys GPS products did – only better.

Summary of a Slalom Windsurf session

The screenshots are courtesy of Michael George K888 all grabbed from his mobile phone after a windsurfing session.

How simple is this to understand – perfect summary. This is just what us speedsailors are looking for. Number of runs, fastest 100m, 250m, 500m (the important one) and average 5 x 10s (as used on GPS-speedsurfing.com)

Coros Direct from Amazon

Please show your support to this website by clicking the BUTTON below to get the very best price for a Coros Apex Pro from Amazon

GPS-Speed are affiliated to the Amazon Associates Program. Commission may be earned on resulting sales

Recommended by GPS-speedsurfing.com

This watch didn’t just arrive and then get adopted by speedsailors – the speedsailing side of it was developed in conjunction with the team from GP3S. They worked with COROS to ensure it would provide GPS data in an easy to use interface with all the statistical data necessary for competitive speedsailing. The result – a perfect multisport GPS watch to rival any Garmin, Suunto or Polar.

COROS and GPS-Speedsurfing.com(GP3S) have been working together to develop a tailor made workout mode that enable instant feedback on the water for all our major categories. The current release of this native speedsurfing mode is available for all COROS APEX PRO & VERTIX owners, and will bring a very high level of accuracy combined with a rock-solid hardware design, amazing battery life and a convenient easy-to-use user interface including fully auto-uploading to our platform. We will continue to collect data and improve the speed algorithms together with COROS. Based on the progress we have made so far, supported by hundreds of test miles on the water, we are convinced this combination is a future proof, trustable, accurate & verifiability solution that we want for our platform

GPS-speedsurfing,com

More details at the GP3S website

To learn more about this collaborative product please visit GPS-speedsurfing.com. Here you will find an extensive FAQ on the Coros APEX and VERTIX plus a step by step setup guide. Everything you need to get on the water and sailing in no time. To BUY the Coros GPS watches pop over to the GP3S shop or check prices with Amazon below

The bottom line is this ….. For GPS speedsurfing (windsurf, kiteboard etc) I recommend the Coros Apex Pro or Coros Vertix (well … actually Mike did, so thanks Mike)

UK Speedsailors – Hall of Fame

In the past I used to sell GPS units directly and I’m proud to have supplied the older unit, the GT31, to the UK’s fastest sailors including, Dave White, Farrel O’Shea 💔, Steve Thorp, Pete Young, Zara Davis, Jim Crossley, Stuart Trunkfield, Graham Clegg, Ian Richards, Bob Cunningham, Adam Gustafsson, Neil Hardwick, Mark Hayford, Pete Davis, Michael George, Darren Mathers, Paul Burgess, Chris Bates, Howard Rowson (“The Weatherman”), Paul Simmons and Mark Bailey. A name for future 50 knots plus is SCOTTY STALLMAN seen in action below.

Nowadays I sail for FUN and only get my speed kit out for big West Kirby days. The picture below was one of my quickest sessions squeezing 43 knots from a 40cm Moo Custom speed board and a Tushingham X15 slalom / speed sail. My YouTube Channel for Speedsurfing is still active

More Marine Based Ventures involving Tristan Haskins

DinghyMart.co.uk – one of the best places in the UK to sell a sailing dinghy. This classified listings site is designed for sailors and is growing steadily, with over 150 boats advertised as of July 2025. Popular dinghy classes are all represented, from modern designs like the RS Aero, ILCA (Laser), Optimist and RS200/RS400, to long-standing favourites such as the Enterprise, Firefly and GP14. If you’ve got a dinghy to sell, it’s quick and easy to get it listed on Dinghy Mart.

PWCMart.co.uk – a straightforward way to sell your Jet Ski or personal watercraft. PWCMart follows the same tried-and-tested format as Dinghy Mart, offering private sellers an easy way to advertise watercraft from well-known manufacturers including Yamaha, Kawasaki and Sea-Doo. Got a Jet Ski to sell? Get it on PWCMart.

SailStickers.co.uk – need some branding for your boat’s sails or hull? We can help. With over ten years’ experience, we supply high-quality, custom-made Dacron sail stickers and vinyl hull decals. Whether you need one or two stickers or a large batch of logos, we’re happy to help. We also provide branded clothing for sailing clubs and race crews – including UV-protective long-sleeve tops, rugby shirts, hoodies and soft shell jackets. Whatever you need for branding your boat or crew, get in touch with Sail Stickers.

SailNumbers.com specialises in high-quality self-adhesive sail numbers for dinghies and small craft. Launched in January 2026, the site focuses on two core ranges: Digital 8 numbers in the ILCA / Laser style, and traditional pre-cut letters and numbers in a clean sans-serif font. Products are available in black, blue, and red, with sizes ranging from 230 mm to 450 mm.