Velociteck Putting Up $1,000 Speed Challenge for Melges 24 Sailors at 2008 North American Championship

The Velocitek Speed Challenge will give Melges 24 sailors the chance to win a $1,000 prize for the crew that achieves the top speed at the 2008 Melges 24 North American Championship at the Easport Yacht Club in Annapolis, MD on 26 October - 02 November.

"The Melges 24 class has always been focused on pushing the performance envelope and it is truly amazing to see the speeds being attained as Melges 24 sailors push the limits of what’s possible with a 24 ft keelboat. At Velocitek, we thought it would be very interesting to offer a prize to see how fast these boats can go when some of the best sailors in the world are really pushing them," said Alec Stewart, President and Founder, Velocitek.

The Velocitek Speed Challenge will take place on Thursday, Oct 30 between 9am and 5pm. During this time, sailors will have the opportunity to sail as much as they like in their efforts to record their top speed. Top speeds for the event can be recorded using any Velocitek GPS device. For those competitors without a Velocitek, a limited number of demo units will be available through a pre-registration process by filling out the online form at store.velocitek.com/fastcash

Full details and rules for the Velocitek $1,000 Speed Challenge can be found at: velocitek.com/news

ABOUT VELOCITEK
Velocitek enables dinghy and sportboat racers to improve their boat speed and tactics with a combination of real-time on-the water performance feedback from the SC-1 high-accuracy GPS instrument and post-race analysis using the Velocitek SpeedPlay race replay computer program. The Velocitek system is unique in that it forms a completely integrated solution including both on the water instrumentation and post race analysis software. Both components of the system are specifically designed to work together.

The SC-1 combines a GPS speedometer and VMG sensor with a compass, countdown timer, start line proximity meter and GPS data logger, which provides sailors with all the information they need to trim for optimal VMG (Velocity Made Good) and to make sound tactical decisions. Velocitek SpeedPlay allows sailors to download GPS data from up to 21 Velocitek devices in one batch and easily generate race replay animations from the data. Velocitek SpeedPlay race replay animations use high-quality map backgrounds from the Microsoft Virtual Earth server to provide geographic context. Velocitek provides a 30-day money back guarantee on all products.

CALL FOR ENTRIES : FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE APPROACHING
The final entry deadline of 17 October (this Friday) for the 2008 Melges 24 North American Championship is fast approaching. Forty-six Melges 24s have already joined the ranks of the largest International Melges 24 North American Championship gathering ever! EYC is also the host site for the 2009 Melges 24 World Championship on 27 October - 07 November.

Download An NOR | Register Online | Visit The Official Event Website

The 2008 North American Championship is sponsored by Pusser’s Rum, Pusser's Caribbean Grille, Coral Reef Sailing Apparel, Gill, Melges Performance Sailboats, North Sails, Velocitek, Annapolis Wireless Internet (AWI), Harken, Sail 22, Quantum Sails, Westin Annapolis, Atlantic Yacht Rigging and Stuart Simpson's Team Barbarians. The Melges 24 Class and the Eastport Yacht Club are extremely proud to be partnered with these outstanding companies and thank them for their generous support of the 2008 Melges 24 North American Championship.