On Tue, 1 Sep 2009 13:00:43 -0700 (PDT), silverdragon
wrote:

This is probably a stupid question but I haven't come across an answer
in any of my sailing books.

How would you go about getting e-mail and an internet connection while
on the open ocean? What kind of equipment would you need to buy, and
what is the cost of the service?

There are several different ways to get EMAIL via Single Side Band
(SSB) radio. One requires a ham license and the other does not. Do a
Google search on Airmail and Sailmail for more info. Equipment costs
are about $3K for an ICOM-802, antenna tuner and Pactor modem.

To get true internet service you need a satellite hookup which
requires a gyro tracking antenna/receiver plus a subscription service.
Figure on between $5K and $10K for equipment and about $1/minute for
connect time.

http://www.kvh.com/Products/Product.asp?id=154