In Virtual Reality News
October 7, 2022 – NauticEd, a provider of on-the-water and online sailing training, has this week announced a partnership with MarineVerse, an Australian-based provider of virtual reality (VR) sailing simulation solutions, to jointly offer a virtual reality sailing course that incorporates VR gaming with sailing training techniques and programs.
The initial VR sailing course, “Self Mastery,” was co-developed by the two companies and features sailing training that balances authenticity and entertainment in a fully immersive, virtual sailing experience.
The training puts students at the helm of a sailing yacht and helps them learn to trim the sails, manage boat speed, and navigate. The boat reacts to wind conditions and every decision made by the user, giving them instant feedback on how their actions impact boat behavior. Other more complex modules like docking and maneuvering within the marina, night sailing, and heavy weather are also in production for future accessibility, according to the companies.
“How do you make sailing less intimidating and open to more diverse types of sailors? How do sailors keep learning and continue to practice what they have already learned when they can’t access the water? The answer is VR, and we believe it will be revolutionary for sailing education,” said Grant Headifen, founder and Global Director of Education for NauticEd. “As experienced sailors have known for thousands of years, competence requires theory knowledge, practical skills, and lots of experience. VR combines all aspects into a fluid, immersive and fun experience that pushes the boundaries of a user’s imagination in a safe and non-intimidating training environment.”
NauticEd stated that it recognized the opportunity to leverage the unique capabilities of VR and MarineVerse’s innovations to enhance and transform sailing instruction. MarineVerse wanted to leverage the growth of modern sailing education as part of its vision to make sailing more accessible and entertaining. NauticEd also noted that the newly announced partnership coincides with a reported 43% growth in registrations for the company’s online sailing courses over the past 24 months.
In addition to NauticEd’s sailing education and certification programs, the partnership will also deliver the full experience of “MarineVerse Cup VR,” a virtual reality sailing game available on the Meta Quest platform that allows players to learn, race, and explore the MarineVerse with no prior sailing experience required. The MarineVerse online community even allows players to race against other people from all over the world.
Also commenting on the partnership, Greg Dziemidowicz, founder of MarineVerse, stated: “Sailing has always been about community for me. With NauticEd we will make sailing instruction more affordable and accessible while inspiring, educating and entertaining a fast-growing community of sailors.”
The virtual reality sailing course featuring the “Self Mastery” module is now accessible via the NauticEd website at or via the MarineVerse Cup app on Meta Quest (the latter requires a Quest headset to play).
Image credit: NauticEd
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.