Sailors, technology enthusiasts

eStela is a family-owned project based in Spain, born from a shared interest in both sailing and technology. It was founded in 2013 by Sebastián Vidal and his son Javier Vidal as a side initiative to support the Club de Mar de Almería (Spain). Sebastián developed the Android and iOS applications, while Javier focused on building the web platform.

In 2014, eStela gained its first external client in Galicia, marking the beginning of its adoption beyond the original club. The following year, in 2015, a version for Windows Phone was added to expand device compatibility.

Over time, eStela continued to evolve with the integration of features such as Garmin device compatibility, NMEA data support, audio streaming, photo publishing, wind visualization, real-time classification, AIS integration, a public developer API, and compatibility with GPS tracker devices.

In 2018, eStela was used to track the European Championship for the J80 class, one of its most notable early milestones.

In 2022, Sebastián Vidal passed away. Since then, Javier has continued the development and management of the system.

In 2024, a new version of the mobile app was released, continuing the project’s evolution.

Today, eStela remains an independent, family-driven effort focused on building reliable tools for sailing event tracking and data collection.

About Javier Vidal

Javier Vidal (Almería, 1988) was born into a family with a deep passion for sailing. He studied Computer Science and, after completing his studies, worked at several startups based in Los Angeles and Madrid.

While developing eStela, he moved to Menlo Park, California, to join Meta as a Senior Frontend Engineer.

In 2023, he returned to Almería to take full control of eStela’s development, continuing the project he started with his father and reinforcing his commitment to the platform’s growth and evolution.