Spot On in Prince William Sound

Rob Novak of the Sausalito-based Catalina 387 Shindig recently returned from a five-day kayaking trip in Alaska’s Prince William Sound with friend Bryan Sveum. "The days are long during June, and there’s plenty of light to read the latest issue of Latitude 38 late into the evening," Novak reports. "I highly recommend latitude 60 for phenomenal glacier views and bald eagle sightings.

"I brought a Spot Satellite Personal Tracker to allow friends and family to track us online as we paddled in this remote area. This device in not targeted to the sailing community but I thought the tracking feature worked well," said Novak.

Spot trackers are affordable — West Marine sells them for $150 with a $99 yearly subscription — and allow the user to choose from three messages (OK, HELP and 911) to send to up to 10 email addresses or cell phone numbers. Folks at home can also follow your track on Google Earth. The fact that the device is waterproof and floats, might make it a good choice for daysailors, but it doesn’t take the place of a standard EPIRB for long-distance voyaging. We’d love to hear your experiences with personal trackers like Spot.