Yes, the Can fleet followed the US, as far as I know, hence why a lot of people were using the speedpuck at the Can nats (its simply cheaper then the tactic compass).

I'm a bit worried about GPS in our fleet when it gets easy to "ping" start lines and marks (giving you distance to layline, distance to start line, etc), but for now that is hard to do given the physical distance from where you need to put the device on an F18 (yes, the Rockbox has a remote, never used it, so it may be possible). That said, not sure if it is really an issue, as no device will ever ensure you win. Also, distance to start line probably doesn't help much in an F18 given the lack of "to the inch" accuracy of GPS and the style of starts we do (no big boat "start your momentum at 1 minute" starts), and layline distance assumes constant knowledge of wind direction, which would require more tech to be accurate.

To me the ideal device for an F18 would be Speed, heading and estimated VMG (for both upwind and downwind). Speed (and hence VMG) would need GPS to work. The SC-1 from Velocitek does this but in a package that is not that appealing to F18s (to big / bulky, can't reach buttons). They have a new product coming out soon, the SC2 which looks to solve this issue (fingers crossed).

My 2 cents, back on subject, loved the Nats and I hope next year everyone does the NAs and Can Nats back to back, would be a great couple weeks of racing!