Twitter Buoy Informs Ocean Race Sailors

'Twitter buoy' keeps sailors in touch with Galway conditions as  Volvo Ocean Race competitors reach the finishing line

Sailing enthusiasts all over the world are being kept abreast of conditions in Galway Bay ahead of the grand finale of the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) thanks to the deployment of a unique eight metre high buoy in the sea off Mutton Island reports Ireland's 'The Connacht Sentinel'.

The Galway Buoy is providing up to date information on the progress of the 39,000 mile VOR ahead of the last leg into Galway as well as wind and sea conditions in the vicinity of the finishing line before the conclusion of the nine month race on July 3.

Tweets will be provided from the buoy about the progress of the eight boats between the start of the final leg in Lorient on July 1 and the conclusion of the race next to an Irish naval vessel two days later.

Already almost 500 people have begun following @GalwayBuoy on the Twitter social media site, as it provides regular updates about water temperature, wind speed and direction, visibility, and wave height in the bay.

The tweets are being written up as though written by the buoy itself in the hope that a new generation of young sailing enthusiasts will engage with the project before the grand finale of the VOR takes place from June 30 to July 8 next.

The Galway ‘Twitter’ Buoy, fitted with meteorological and oceanographic sensors, was launched from the Irish Lights vessel, Granuaile, near Mutton Island before beginning to ‘tweet’ a constant flow of data from the bay at the weekend.