When you turn the planet into a racetrack there is, of course, a world of options, and in the case of the Volvo Ocean Race, each navigational decision can be critical. The days of reliance on the heavens and sextants have long since given way to modern electronics, but this year racers will for the first time have at their disposal one of the most powerful tools yet: the Internet.

The satellite phone connections that make oceanic Internet surfing possible are nothing new. They have been in use for years, and all Volvo yachts are fitted with three separate satellite communication systems. But in past races, navigators were only allowed to download weather files made available by race organizers, not browse the Net.

This year, each team was allowed to pick in advance ten Internet sites that they would be allowed to access during the race. Teams are after information ranging from updated current and wind data to near real-time satellite ocean surface images that let them actually see the wind in a given area. This complements the information they get on board, such as wind speed from anemometers and latitude and longitude from GPS systems.

“It does change [the race] hugely,” says Mike Broughton, a navigation expert with U.K.-based St. James’s Yachting working with Volvo organizers, of Internet access. One of the main motivations for the change, he says, was to increase safety. As justification for the move he points to the fateful 1998 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, in which several lives were lost in part because of inadequate weather information.

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