Although small, we are a long-established UK company based in Portsmouth, with maritime customers all over Europe and handful even further away. We believe this is because we offer a very efficient Marine Tracking System at very attractive prices, and we are certain our many 'long term' customers would agree. Our two principals Andy and Christine have both been involved in data communications since the early nineties and were a major part of the team that developed Turbo Track and Turbo Dispatch (still used today by UK Police and Motoring organisations) to communicate incident information electronically.
In 2007 both retired as directors from Mobile Tracking Systems (then industry leaders in parts of the emergency services), to enjoy semi-retirement and a bit of boating. They also started Boat Track to help their fellow sailor friends, get a quality system at a sensible price. Of course, those friends told their friends, who told their friend and before too long it was a business again!
'Captain' Andy in the captain’s seat on the bridge of USS Enterprise (CVN-65) probably saying "make it so"
'Number One' Christine proudly operating in Boat Track's first purpose build control centre around 2007
Our original GPS Trackers did not use the internet as it just was not reliable enough, instead they used a PMR Radio Network based system called Mobitex. Typical cost back then was around £350 for the tracker, and the monthly airtime was around £33 per month. The units were built to our deign by our associates Phoenix Systems UK in Fareham.
They were bulky by today’s standards and had to have external aerials for both GPS and the wireless networks. Location updates were a single fix every 5 minutes when moving, and every two hours when not. Fortunately today costs have plummeted and the internet (while not perfect) with the right checking software does the job better and cheaper than Mobitex did.
Our first stand-alone tracker manufactured in Fareham around 1998
The first boat we fitted a tracker to back in 2004
While the majority of our customers are boating enthusiast or are running RIB sightseeing tours, we do also have a number of charter operators and the odd celebrity. For example, when the late Brian Angliss (off AC Cars fame) purchased the former Isles of Scilly Arun lifeboat to take out to his new home in New Zealand, it was Boat Track he came to for his trackers.
Likewise when in 2013 Dan Stevens discovered languishing in a Majorca boatyard Richard Branson's iconic Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, he decided it had to be saved and to do this he hatched a plan to make it seaworthy enough to get it back to Seahawk Workboats yard in Plymouth, where it could be properly restored. To allow the press and other to follow this somewhat uncertain trip of some 1500 nautical miles, he fitted a Boat Track unit so everyone could follow the journey.
Isles of Scilly Lifeboat 52-18 Robert Edgar in New Zealand
Virgin Atlantic Challenger II after being rescued
We hope that this very brief history, gives you a chance to see that although we are not a big multi-national company, we do know what we are doing when it comes to tracking your vessel. Also, you can see we have not just come on to the scene, we have been involved with using GPS for asset tracking since its earliest days.