Follow Skipper Rich Wilson's bid for a second completion as the oldest competitor in the Vendée Globe solo sailing race, while learning about the science and geography of such a venture.

An educational Web site called Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET) has been tapped to win the prestigious SPORE award by the journal Science. Like a key to the kingdom, EET provides students with all they need to enter the world of real scientific data.

“Using real data allows students to see a real connection between science and the world,” said Tamara Shapiro Ledley, EET’s principal investigator and a former climate researcher. “Too often data sets can only be understood by scientists themselves. That’s where Earth Exploration Toolbook comes in.”