Why Sailcomp when Racemaster seems to offer comparable performance without wiring? I am thinking about buying one or the other for this summer, and I have not yet decided which way to go.

Only reason I can think of is if you want to plug the compass into an integrated instrument system to get true wind direction. Used to be SailComp was the only real digitial compass available.

There are countless electronic compasses on the market now that can feed info to an instrument system. If you do not need a dedicated display (other than what is in the other instruments) the Ritchie DH200 is a bargain at about $200., outputs NMEA, can self-calibrate (although will not "confirm" results which the Sailcomp will) and is a pretty darn good unit. We use them extensively to feed Ockam instrument systems.

I put a sailcomp on my boat in the mid 1980's and it has worked like a champ. The boat was struck by lightening and the compass kept on ticking. My compass was made before the NMEA interface was part of the sailcomp product, and I figured that when the compass died I would get a new one. Still waiting. I don't know about the Racemaster, but my sailcomp is an outstnading product.