A satellite tracking system marked the progress of James Castrission (L) and Justin Jones. Photo / Mark Mitchell
As Australian kayakers Justin Jones and James Castrission paddled their way across the Tasman, more than half a million people around the world watched their progress on the web.
A satellite tracking system designed by Dunedin company Daestra has been credited with the high volume of online traffic
and the huge interest in the kayakers.
The system, called TracPlus, mapped the pair's position every 10 minutes and the positions were fed to the kayakers' website, www.crossingtheditch.com.au
By Saturday night, as the pair closed in on their destination, New Plymouth, Daestra increased tracking of their position to once every 2 1/2 minutes.
Those logging into the kayakers' website could see their position changing constantly, down to a metre.
Daestra also supplied the TracPlus software to family and friends of the kayakers, meaning they could watch the pair's progress on their own computers rather than through the website.
This proved useful yesterday morning when the kayakers' website, operated by Australian firm Race Recon, crashed because of a huge upsurge in users.
Jones' parents said the software was both a blessing and a curse because they were able to see their son's progress, but could also tell when he was hampered by circling currents or strong winds.
His father, Rod, said those moments were very upsetting for him and Jones' mother, Chintra, particularly if they went on for a long time.
For Hawera man Al Powell, the system ensured he did not miss the kayakers' arrival, and drove to New Plymouth to meet them.
"I was up at 4 to make sure I didn't miss them," he said.
