When a safety tool becomes routine, its disappearance is often felt more sharply than expected. With RYA SafeTrx app scheduled to shut down at the end of December, thousands of sailors who relied on it for live tracking and voyage logging are now reassessing how they share their movements on the water.
Until now, SafeTrx has been relied upon across the UK, Ireland, Australia and beyond for tracking small craft voyages and providing real-time visibility to families and emergency contacts. Its closure leaves a gap in digital safety tools for recreational sailors.
RYA and HM Coastguard outline transition plans
The decision to close RYA SafeTrx (the UK version of SafeTrx) was announced at the beginning of December by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), in discussion with HM Coastguard. The reason given was advances in technology since the app’s inception.
“We appreciate that the news that the tracking side of RYA SafeTrx will no longer be provided will be disappointing for active users of the app,” says Mel Hide, RYA director of external affairs. “However, we are pleased that ownership and vessel data held within RYA SafeTrx will be transferred to HM Coastguard and can continue to be referenced in an emergency.”
Following this, assistant chief coastguard Matt Leat explains: “We want to reassure all water users that this change will not affect HM Coastguard’s ability to respond to emergencies and rescue those in distress.”
Data transfer and deadlines users need to know
RYA and HM Coastguard are working together to ensure that the data originally provided to RYA SafeTrx will be transferred to a secure database within HM Coastguard. Users that do not want their data to be transferred are asked to delete their account prior to the app closing on 31 December 2025.
Sailors look for hardware-free tracking alternatives
Step forward SailTies. It’s marketing itself as a free replacement offering hardware-free live tracking and automatic voyage logging – and says its already used by more than 35,000 sailors.
“SafeTrx closing has highlighted how important voyage tracking is for sailors,” says Chris Jacobs, co-founder of SailTies. “SailTies is built to make tracking effortless and accessible to everyone, whether you’re cruising, racing or day-sailing.”
SailTies allows sailors to share live GPS tracking with family, friends or crew, record voyages automatically with full GPS tracks and the app can be used without any additional hardware.
Apps reshape how sailors log and share voyages
Recent data which the company has collected says that 71 per cent of the apps users sail weekly or monthly, and many (percentage not given) report sailing more often because the app motivates them to build their digital logbook.
SailTies can be downloaded from the company’s site or via App Store and Google Play.
The end of SafeTrx marks more than the loss of a familiar app; it reflects a broader shift in how sailors think about safety, visibility and record keeping afloat. As new tools step in to fill the gap, the question for many users will not just be which app to download next, but how much they want digital tracking to become part of their regular sailing routine – whether for reassurance, accountability or simply to keep a better log of time on the water.
The post RYA SafeTrx closure leaves gap in digital voyage tracking appeared first on Marine Industry News.
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