Yesterday I had one of these videos show up on my Facebook timeline. Now this is a clever piece of kit. Not much use to the solo sailor but this is a good example of modern technology! There are several other videos of the same unit.

Maybe they'll make a model one day that hangs on the back of your boat and self deploys if one of the crew (who is wearing a tracker/transmitter) is more than a certain distance from it and then it homes in on them. The technology is certainly out there.

Crusoe said..
Maybe they'll make a model one day that hangs on the back of your boat and self deploys if one of the crew (who is wearing a tracker/transmitter) is more than a certain distance from it and then it homes in on them. The technology is certainly out there.

That would be great for solo sailors. Now if someone will just pick up the idea and run with it.

If the guy couldn't be bothered to swim away from the rocks I'd be quoting Arthur Ransome; "If not duffers won't drown; if duffers better drowned."

On a serious note, that's a really interesting device, although one wonders how often the person in the water is strong and calm enough to hold on. I want one so I can send the dogs ashore to the sandbank for a run, without having to row them.