How do family follow a boat on an ocean crossing?

Through a satellite tracker on board. The ARC fits a YB tracker to every boat and shows the fleet on a viewer. For a personal link with the weather where you are, add an inReach or SPOT to AdventureLive and share the trip page.

Do I need a route on AdventureLive?

No. A passage can be one leg with no route. Followers see the dot and the line you actually sailed. A leg can last days or months.

Is a tracker the same as an EPIRB or AIS?

No. An EPIRB is a distress beacon and AIS is a collision-avoidance system. A tracker sends your position to the web. Carry the safety equipment your flag state, race or rally requires, and do not use a tracker to replace it.

How long is the ARC crossing?

About 2,700 nautical miles from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. Cruising World reported in 2025 that most boats expected to arrive 18 to 21 days after the start, depending on when they find the trade winds.

What if my tracker sends SOS?

Rescue is run by Garmin Response (inReach) or SPOT's GEOS centre, not by AdventureLive. An SOS goes to that centre, which contacts the emergency contacts you set with Garmin or SPOT, so set those up. AdventureLive emails the home contacts you named, with the time, the place on a map and the trip page, when you send a HELP message.

Does the page show waves or sea state?

No. It shows the weather where you are: wind, temperature, rain and storms, with alerts for gales and thunderstorms. Use an offshore routing forecast for sea state.

Guide · Live tracking

How to let family track your sailing passage live

By AdventureLive · Updated 3 November 2026

3D satellite view of Saint Lucia, the Caribbean — 3D map: AdventureLive. Imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

How do family follow a boat on an offshore passage?

Through a satellite tracker on board. For a rally, the organiser usually fits one. For your own link, add an inReach or SPOT to AdventureLive as one leg with no route and share the trip page. Family see your dot, the line you have sailed and the weather where you are. This guide covers a crossing and a rally such as the ARC. For other trips, see the live tracking hub.

What does a typical crossing look like?

The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) has run since 1986. It starts at the end of November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and finishes at Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia, usually before Christmas. The distance is about 2,700 nautical miles. A 2025 report said most boats expected 18 to 21 days at sea, depending on when they find the trade winds. The 2025 edition, the 40th, drew about 145 boats and more than 800 sailors.

Outside rallies, sailors cross for many reasons: a delivery, a one-off crossing or a long cruise. The same shape applies. You are away for days or weeks, usually without phone signal once the land is out of sight. The people at home want to know you are moving and that conditions are fair.

What does the ARC already provide?

A tracker on every boat. A YB Tracking post says every ARC boat gets a YB3 tracker before departure, and that family and friends can follow one yacht or the whole fleet on a fleet viewer. The post sends followers to the World Cruising Club website, the organiser, to see the fleet once the rally has started. That is the standard for ocean events and it does its job well: one page for the whole fleet.

So what is left for AdventureLive? Three things:

A link for your family only. One page about your boat, not 145.
The weather where you are. Now and for 48 hours, with alerts for strong wind and gales, heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Home contacts. Up to five people emailed if your inReach or SPOT sends a HELP message.

If your rally or race requires its own tracker and restricts others, follow the rulebook. Check the rules before you add one. For a fair side-by-side, read AdventureLive vs YB Tracking.

How do I set up a passage in AdventureLive?

Plan the trip. In the web app, sign in with Google or an email link. Name the trip, set the start and the end. Add one leg and leave the route empty. A leg can last an afternoon or months. See plan a trip.
Link your tracker. In My trackers, paste your inReach MapShare address and password if there is one, then Link and test it. For SPOT, use its shared page. See link a tracker. Link both if you carry both; the freshest position wins.
Choose who can see you. Findable, Link only, or People I approve.
Name your home contacts. See home contacts.
Send the link. Followers can also arrive through your livedot.me link.

Going live needs nothing. From an hour before a leg starts, the tracker's first position puts the trip live. You can also use Start now, Pause, Resume and End trip by hand from any phone's browser. If you stop in port for several days, the line breaks after 12 quiet hours and the next position starts the next stretch. See going live.

If you plan stages (say Canaries to Cape Verde, then Cape Verde to the Caribbean), use one leg per stage. Followers then see the day and leg you are on.

What weather will my family see?

The weather where you are: wind, temperature, rain and storms. AdventureLive shows the forecast for about the next 10 days, plus typical weather for your dates further out, from ten years of records. Safety alerts flag strong wind and gales, freezing or severe cold, heat, heavy rain and thunderstorms, at your position and on the route ahead.

It does not show swell, waves, sea temperature or currents. Your routing and offshore forecast remain the source for sea state. The forecast is a guide, not a promise.

How often does the dot move?

As often as your tracker sends. AdventureLive reads an inReach no more than every 4 minutes and a SPOT no more than every 2.5 minutes. A passage is slow, so that is fine. The page says "Seen 22 min ago, via inReach", so family see how fresh the position is.

Does a tracker replace my safety gear?

No. A tracker is not an EPIRB, a liferaft or AIS. Carry what your flag state, rally or race requires. An inReach or SPOT adds an SOS button to a staffed centre (Garmin Response or SPOT's GEOS). AdventureLive does not run rescues.

What should I tell my family?

The dot may be minutes or hours old. Read "Seen … ago".
A quiet dot during a storm or a battery swap is not an emergency.
Where to find the fleet viewer if the rally has one.
What the HELP email means and who to call.

Compare with the slowest and longest case in ocean rowing. Ready? Plan your trip.

Questions people ask

How do family follow a boat on an ocean crossing?: Through a satellite tracker on board. The ARC fits a YB tracker to every boat and shows the fleet on a viewer. For a personal link with the weather where you are, add an inReach or SPOT to AdventureLive and share the trip page.
Do I need a route on AdventureLive?: No. A passage can be one leg with no route. Followers see the dot and the line you actually sailed. A leg can last days or months.
Is a tracker the same as an EPIRB or AIS?: No. An EPIRB is a distress beacon and AIS is a collision-avoidance system. A tracker sends your position to the web. Carry the safety equipment your flag state, race or rally requires, and do not use a tracker to replace it.
How long is the ARC crossing?: About 2,700 nautical miles from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Rodney Bay, Saint Lucia. Cruising World reported in 2025 that most boats expected to arrive 18 to 21 days after the start, depending on when they find the trade winds.
What if my tracker sends SOS?: Rescue is run by Garmin Response (inReach) or SPOT's GEOS centre, not by AdventureLive. An SOS goes to that centre, which contacts the emergency contacts you set with Garmin or SPOT, so set those up. AdventureLive emails the home contacts you named, with the time, the place on a map and the trip page, when you send a HELP message.
Does the page show waves or sea state?: No. It shows the weather where you are: wind, temperature, rain and storms, with alerts for gales and thunderstorms. Use an offshore routing forecast for sea state.

Sources

Guide · Live trackingHow to let family track you live while rowing an oceanRowing an ocean? Carry an inReach or SPOT and share one AdventureLive link so family see your dot and the weather where you are, even weeks from land.

Comparison · ComparisonsAdventureLive vs YB Tracking: race tracker or family page?YB Tracking is the standard for ocean races. AdventureLive is a free family page for your own inReach or SPOT. Use YB in the race, then both for home.

Guide · Live trackingHow to let family track you live on an adventureLet family follow you live when there is no phone signal: use a satellite tracker and one link with a map, the weather where you are, and home contacts.

Guide · Satellite trackersinReach vs SPOT vs ZOLEO for expeditionsinReach, SPOT and ZOLEO compared for expeditions: networks, coverage, tracking intervals, SOS, plan prices and weights, and which work with AdventureLive.

Guide · ComparisonsThe best live tracking for adventures (2026)Ten ways to let family follow an adventure live, compared fairly: MapShare, SPOT, SpotWalla, Polarsteps, YB, LiveTrack, Beacon, ZOLEO and AdventureLive.