Under the tree this Christmas was a "SPOT Satellite Messenger". This handheld device is able to communicate your position (determined by a built in GPS chip) via a Global Star communications satellite. The communication satellite then forwards your position and pre-programmed message to pre-defined recipients. Marketed towards emergency use the unit has 4 buttons; "Help","ON/OFF","OK", & "911".

The 911 button is emergency only (no cancellation once activated), the Help button is intended for non life threatening situations, the OK button sends your position. When the OK button is pressed for over 5 seconds this activates "tracking mode" and your position is sent out every 10 minutes. The tracking mode is probably of most interest to the sailing/racing community. The unit can be purchased on sale for around $120 Canadian, and then different levels of service can be licensed on an annual basis. Basic service is around $US 99 and the tracking option is extra, and then they also offer "rescue insurance". The full deal (with fries) came to $US 157/year.

You set up your account profile online and you can specify email or cell phone accounts to receive your message and position, the message includes a link to Google Earth. There is also a feature currently being beta tested which has a "Share Page". This may be the best option as interested people can look up the yacht's location at their convenience rather than being bombarded with emails every 10 minutes. Fancy Free's web page has been linked to show the yacht's current position

It should be possible to have multiple units using the same "share page", this would provide a great opportunity for near real time tracking of distance yacht racing. On the SPOT web page you can set up multiple profiles, you may want a different profile if you are backcountry skiing than if you were offshore yacht racing. Our profile includes the information "35 foot sailing yacht, crew of 9, no life raft", so hopefully if we press the 911 button they will send a big helicopter and we don't have to draw straws while treading water. You can also customize the "OK" and "HELP" messages. Since the HELP button does not activate emergency services you could program a message such "rounded the mark". The unit itself just has the 4 buttons and 4 lights, so any messages must be set up in advance. It is difficult (impossible?) to tell from the idiot lights when you are in tracking mode or OK mode. Manual is not great, so it is worth experimenting a bit first. We were pleased to test it out inside the boat with the unit situated on the chart table and the signals passed through the cabin top without any apparent issues.