An offshore breeze is the paddleboard emergency: a wind you barely noticed on the beach pushes you out faster than you can paddle back. Two things help most: someone ashore who can see you, and a fast way to call for help. VesselSOS gives both from the phone already in your dry bag: a live browser link, and an SOS screen that dials 999 with your position ready to read, so you can ask for the Coastguard.
Most paddleboard rescues start the same way: an offshore breeze, or an ebbing tide at a river mouth. You aren’t hurt, you’re just getting further away. That’s exactly what a live link is for: the person on the beach sees the drift long before you’d think to call anyone, and can call 999 for you.
It’s in the dry bag anyway. Start tracking before you launch and send the link to one person; the app does nothing else in the background, and they see your battery too. If the day turns serious, the SOS screen has your position in words, a script that starts “Coastguard, I am at sea” and a one-tap 999 call. Going further out? A waterproof handheld VHF on channel 16 reaches the Coastguard and nearby boats directly.
A leash and a buoyancy aid keep you alive; a phone only gets help moving. VesselSOS is an aid, not a rescue service: in immediate danger, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard, or use VHF channel 16 if you carry a radio.
Yes. GPS works through the pouch, tracking runs on its own, and the SOS screen uses large type: one tap on SOS, one yes/no question, and the app dials 999. It works with wet thumbs.
Each paddler shares their own link, and the person ashore opens them side by side. Set your craft type to SUP/kayak in your profile.
The SOS screen (your position, the call script and the 999 call) is free forever, with no account. Pro adds the live tracking link for the people ashore, your contacts and board profile, the return-time check and trip history: £2.99 a month or £17.99 a year, with a 14-day free trial.