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Eyes on the fleet: Technology that watches, waits — and sometimes saves a life

Home 2025 Eyes on the fleet: Technology that watches, waits — and sometimes saves a life

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They are small, easy to overlook, yet trackers and emergency beacons sit quietly aboard offshore race boats as constant witnesses — recording where crews go, how fast they move, and, when the worst happens, where help is needed.

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For competitors, they are items on the safety checklist for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. For race organisers, they are fundamental to how modern offshore racing operates. 

At the Compulsory Race Briefings before the start, race committee chair and race director, Lee Goddard, made it clear that safety systems such as trackers, satellite communications and emergency beacons are not optional add-ons. 

“Our role is to maximise participation, but also to make each and every race is safe and fair,” Goddard told competitors at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.  

For sailor, Luke Watkins, that technology meant the difference between vanishing into the sea and making it home. 

During last year’s race, Watkins was crewing aboard Porco Rosso when the boat was hit by a violent sequence of waves. The yacht dropped into a trough, slammed into the wave ahead and was swamped. 

“We went down a rather large wave, and the boat went into the trough of the wave, hit the back of the wave in front, and completely washed the deck,” Watkins recalled. 

When it tipped to the other side, he was dragged underwater and pinned against the leeward side. Running out of air, he unclipped himself at what he thought was his last breath. 

“When I popped up above the water the boat was probably 200 metres in front of me,” he said. 

In offshore conditions, that distance might as well be kilometres. 

Watkins spent around 45 minutes alone in darkness and heavy seas. His survival, he says, came down to training, calm decision-making — and the technology he and his crew were carrying.  

“After about half an hour, I saw a port light, but I didn’t know which boat it was,” he said. “That’s when I got my head torch out and held it up so they could see where I was.” 

For several minutes, nothing happened. Then a searchlight cut back through the night. 

“They came over to me,” Watkins said. “I’m very lucky to have been able to get back on board, and it’s a testament to the guys and their professionalism.” 

Race trackers are mounted high on boats, usually on stern rails or near the cockpit, where they maintain a clear view of the sky. They transmit a vessel’s position at regular intervals, feeding live race maps used by organisers, media and families ashore. 

Their real value, however, emerges when something changes. A sudden slowdown, abrupt course alteration or prolonged stop can alert the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia’s race control that a boat may be in trouble — even before a distress call is made. 

“They don’t replace seamanship,” Goddard said. “They give us context — where the boat was, where it is now, and how conditions may be affecting it.” 

When a sailor ends up in the water, context alone is not enough. That is where personal locator beacons (PLBs) and emergency position-indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) come into play. 

When activated, these devices transmit a distress signal on 406 MHz to the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite network, a globally coordinated system dedicated solely to search and rescue. Signals are picked up by satellites and relayed to rescue coordination centres, often within minutes. 

Modern beacons transmit an encoded ID linked to a vessel or individual, along with GPS coordinates accurate to within tens of metres. Many also emit a homing signal and high-intensity strobe light, helping rescuers pinpoint a person once they are nearby. 

Watkins was wearing a light-up safety jacket and carrying a PLB, as is a requirement of the race. According to Porco Rosso skipper Paul McCartney, that equipment dramatically narrowed the search. 

Last year’s race forced organisers to manage what Goddard described as “the full range of emergencies”, including multiple serious incidents occurring simultaneously. Since then, procedures have been tightened and technology made even more central to decision-making. 

Race control now plans for worst-case scenarios: severe weather, communication failures and concurrent emergencies. Trackers provide the baseline situational awareness — a live picture of more than 120 yachts spread across hundreds of miles — while satellite phones, AIS man-overboard devices, PLBs and EPIRBs form the layers beneath it. 

Goddard stressed that when an emergency signal is activated, there is no such thing as a false alarm. 

“There is no crying wolf,” he said. “Every activation is treated as real.” 

That philosophy explains why the race mandates AIS man-overboard devices for all crew, and why satellite phones must be externally antennaed, mounted and tested offshore — not just switched on at the dock. 

In incidents like Luke Watkins’  man overboard, those systems converge: trackers establish the wider picture, while beacons, lights and communications narrow the search to metres. 

“We are risk aware, not risk averse,” Goddard said — a reminder that offshore racing will never be safe, but it can be prepared. 

 Steve Dettre/RSHYR media