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WHICH LITTLE BIRD TELLS ME? Leaving Southampton on the first leg to Rio de Janeiro the fleet will be tuned to the AORE (Atlantic Ocean Region East) satellite or 'bird'. In addition to their messaging capabilities, the Inmarsat-C terminals receive ocean weather and navigation warnings. The yachts are expected to be in the AORE bird's forecast area for most of the leg. Forecasts and warnings for the Atlantic east of Uruguay and Argentina are sent off both AORE and AORW (Atlantic Ocean Region West) satellites. So, from Rio to Cape Horn they can continue to monitor AORE or - at about 40 degrees South - move over to AORW. In any case, AORW will be their best choice when they round the Horn and move into the southern Pacific. And this little bird will be able to send their Christmas greetings back home through Goonhilly using their C-Sat terminal. They'll be delivered to friends and family on a choice of cards including 'Santa in a four-poster bed' and 'Christmas Robin'. When they reach 120W they will change to the POR (Pacific Ocean Region) satellite to Wellington - and beyond. Half way through the Wellington-to-Sydney leg they can change to the IOR (Indian Ocean Region) satellite and stay with it to Cape Town. But they have the option, on crossing longitude 80 degrees East, of changing to AORE bird - which they'll certainly need when leaving Cape Town. The next switch will be when they're approaching 10N/35W and they pick up AORW for the journey into Boston and out again for the first half of the final leg. For the second half of the last leg, from 35W and all the way into Southampton, they'll be with the AORE bird again.
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