Geolink announced yesterday it is providing Iridium mobile satellite communications services for the Oryx Quest 2005 round-the-world sailboat race, which began in February. The Oryx Quest race pits four multi-hull sailing vessels against each other in a race around the world. Three of the boats in this year’s race have been equipped with Iridium phones provided by Geolink.

“Iridium’s global satellite coverage and service allows the racers to send and receive voice, messaging, data, the latest weather forecasts and routing advice from their experts ashore regardless of the extreme conditions at sea,” Bruno Gicquel, maritime operations director at Geolink, said in a prepared statement.