Top 6 Sailors of 2025 - The Data Is In

by Cyclops Marine 13 Jan 01:36 PST

Every year competitive sailing becomes more data-driven - and 2025 was no exception.

In a year that saw the historic return of the Admiral's Cup, the Vendée Globe reach its conclusion at record pace, the birth of a dominant new racing model, and many more headline-grabbing moments, we're looking beyond the stories to the numbers behind them.

Who used live and logged load data from Cyclops to squeeze out those final few percent and climb podiums in 2025? Here are our top six Cyclops sailors (or teams) from an epic year of racing.

Charlie Dalin

The Rolex World Sailor of the Year had to be on the list. Sailing under the MACIF Santé Prévoyance banner, Charlie Dalin finally got his hands on the Vendée Globe trophy, and there couldn't have been a more deserving winner. Shattering the course record and edging out fellow Cyclops sailor Yoann Richomme after an epic battle, six Cyclops Load Pins helped Charlie climb the Everest of the seas. The Vendée Globe is just as much about staying within loading limits to protect equipment, as it is about hitting optimum loads for maximum speed - and Cyclops is instrumental in both respects.

Relive the moment:

Hattie Rogers

In her 2025 season alone Hattie Rogers adds one world championship title, three world championship medals, and two national titles which speak for themselves. Hattie is a powerhouse across the Moth, Switch, and WASZP classes. She also picked up silver at the Women's Match Racing Worlds this year. At the UK Moth Nationals she was just one place from a podium finish overall (including male and female sailors).

Hattie:

"Having the live read out of my vang load from Cyclops via my Vakaros display has proven so valuable. Particularly off the startline, windward, and leeward marks. These parts are where my vang load changes the most, so it is important I'm within my ranges. I'm an engineer and work quantitatively. Adding the Cyclops sensor, with its logging capabilities, adds another dimension to my data collection."

"One thing load sensors helped me understand better was how I compared to the amount of vang the male athletes in the fleet are pulling on. In turn I realised my system didn't allow me to pull a comparative amount of vang load on. After modifying my system, I was able to verify with my Cyclops that I was achieving comparable vang loads. I saw a big performance gain both physically (not having to use as much energy as before), and technically (with my sail set up)."

Discover the Atto.

Team Jolt / Yacht Club de Monaco

Winning the first Admiral's Cup in 22 years, Peter Harrison, Jolt and Yacht Club de Monaco firmly etched their names into sailing history.

Fleets in both divisions were awash with Cyclops sensors, but we're particularly proud that the most successful team in The Admiral's Cup also had the most Cyclops wireless load sensors. Across both Jolt boats, the team was equipped with smartlink wireless load sensors for soft lines, Wireless Load Pins, and smarttoggle sensors for non structural furlers - all supplied by our partners at Marine Rigging Services. Jolt 3 also won the coveted Gold Roman Bowl in the Round the Island Race in the lead up to the Admiral's Cup.

Cyclops partner Marine Rigging Services (MRS) commented:

"Working closely with the Jolt program throughout the 2025 season, MRS supported the team as rigging supplier and onsite regatta support, integrating Cyclops systems onboard for the Admiral's Cup campaign. Pairing Cyclops data with our Grand Prix Marlow textiles allowed the team to push performance with confidence and reliability, playing a key role in Jolt's overall victory in 2025. At MRS, we're committed to collaborating with UK companies, so it's great to work with a leading British brand."

Dylan Fletcher

It was a massive year for the original Cyclops Sailor Dylan Fletcher, who led Emirates Great Britain to their first ever SailGP Championship. In fact, the British became the first team to complete the treble - winning the Grand Final, the Season Championship, and the Impact League.

"Having your live load settings on screen is a game-changer"
- Dylan Fletcher on using Cyclops onboard his Moth.

"Having coached Dylan as a young sailor, I knew he would do great things. Seeing him rise to Olympic glory and then in the America's Cup, and now at the pinnacle of SailGP, is simply awesome."
- Ian "Chips" Howarth, Cyclops CEO

smartlink" Atto - wireless load sensor for dinghies is now available with 10% off and a free hat for a limited time.

Shop now.

Benoit Marie

Six from six going into the Mini Transat, Benoit Marie finished the season with second place in the Classe Mini's showpiece event, but it hardly put a blemish on his dominance. Benoit took the season championship by some distance in what was an extraordinary season for an extraordinary sailor.

Benoit on what Cyclops brought to the campaign:

"Now we can push hard, right to the limits - with 100% faith in the reliability of the boat - ensuring our Mini can keep its huge foiling potential all the way across the Atlantic Ocean... Cyclops is also a huge help at night. It's like having a headlight, because, without being able to see the rig and sails, you can see where your set up is by looking at the numbers."

XR 41

We may be stretching the rules a bit by including an entire model of yacht, but it's our list... so we're doing it anyway! Blasting onto the scene in 2025 with an unprecedented string of results, we simply couldn't leave off the XR 41, especially as every yacht is fitted with Cyclops Digital Direct Load Pins on the forestay as standard.

The first XR 41 (Formula X) went 5 from 5 in her first 5, including the International German Championship - where the entire podium was swept by the XR 41! But she didn't stop there. Formula X went on to win the big one - the ORC Worlds in Tallinn.

With live loads from Cyclops Load Pins, onboard the XR 41 the main trimmer can easily access live forestay load data, helping them hone their settings on the fly. Formula X also has a smartlink from Cyclops monitoring its soft lines.

Want to level-up in 2026? Find the load sensor for your boat here, or speak to a Cyclops expert to learn more.