Skipper Liz Wardley sets sail

Skipper Liz Wardley embarked on the Reference Around-the-world Tour of the SolOceans racecourse from Normandy, France, aboard one of the SolOceans One-design yachts on 29 November 2009. Onboard sensors will collect sea surface salinity data of the oceans she will be crossing along the race’s course. Scientists working to validate SMOS data will compare the satellite's measurements to the measurements taken from the sailing boat.