quatix 7 Sapphire vs. Epix 2

Isn't that regatta related? 

www8.garmin.com/.../GUID-41507EC5-4E2F-43AA-A60A-F57BF1D81A9F.html

I have zero boating / maritime knowledge, though, so I don't really know what I'm looking at. 

The boat features are default Favourites and built-in but you can easily delete then so you never see them using 'Remove from Favourires' then 'Remove from List' so you end up with something that from a user interface perspective is identical to an Epix

These are in Favourites by default:

Thanks for sharing! Now I just need a boat...

One thing that hasn't been pointed out I think is that if you upload your runs, bikes  etc to Strava, Strava sees it as an Epix Gen 2, not a Quatix 7.

So apart from the better looks (if accordng to taste), it is an Epix 2 in every respect.

All that stuff is really cool but ironically, I swap my Epix for an Instinct 2 when racing (just to time the starts and record my intensity minutes. It turns out sailing is more physically demanding for me than biking and running!).  I'm afraid of damaging the Epix. 

In reality having all that information on a watch means you're constantly looking down at your wrist and not looking at the race course. In classes that allow GPS devices and pinging we just use a dedicated device mounted to the mast. The Garmin would make a great back up though. 

Having raced yachts from 20ft all the way up to 70ft, and also dinghies from 8ft to around 18ft, including trapeeze boat; you aren't always easily placed to be able to see instruments and or repeaters so having the option of also being able to check on the wrist, which is quick glance to confirm if the header/lift is as strong as you think,and or start time/course etc is pretty easy. Used to do it all the time with older watches - really biggest issue is often trying to get fingers to buttons especially if helming and controlling mainsheet / spinnaker sheets.

Been in very few races where instrumentation is banned whether dinghies or yachts (would be very weird to actually not have on yachts).

re expense - that is why I prefer to wear a Fenix as its has much stronger lug pins, and using a hook and loop nylon strap system without the quick fit clasps makes for a very secure fit that makes it a lot lot harder to loose your watch. Saying that in most of the classes I have raced the watch isn't overally expensive considering the cost of sails and general boat maintenance etc, and that is even before you consider the cost of the hull and getting to events, the cost of club membership etc.....

All true.  I'm primarily a dingy sailor and rarely even use a glass compass when I'm steering.  On the bigger boats the instruments are always placed where the right people can see them and keep our "heads out of the boat."

Its funny, often I see new people get into a new dinghy class and debate which $1500 GPS/digital compass they need when they spend most of their time upside down when the wind blows over 12kts.

first time I got on a boat - oppie - we spent the first hour flipping them over and putting them back up right again. used to do that every time I got a new dinghy - one of the worst ever was a Sprog - painful but well worth the effort as exceedingly unstable downwind (unless you fully lowered the massive centreboard - which really wasn't an option) - and very very hard to pull back up as the fractional rig included a massive main. Though my absolute worse is still trying to put on a fixed rudder on a back of a 505 in 6ft shore break.

We had them all centrally located but often items like that could be essential when sailing offshore and you are 2-4 miles off the beach and when heading out to sea with no visible land marks, and often when coming in no visible landmarks until closer to shore either - items like compasses could be essential - though we tended to use much cheaper basic gimbled ones (biggest trick was where to put them as generally mast was ideal for placement but not for the compass).

So yes would have loved a watch like this in those days - would have been amazing and a massive help.

Maybe the apps like fusiion link and MFD remote can be downloaded from the IQ Store on regular Epix2 and Fenix7?