BALTIMORE -- The world's largest sailing event will make its return to Maryland next year -- and students can keep track of the race online.

The Volvo Ocean Race kicks off next month with stops in Baltimore and Annapolis.

WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Jennifer Franciotti reported that the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore recently launched a new interactive Web site designed to get area students involved even before the race begins.

"We would love to have kids get that spark so they could learn to like science and see a purpose to it," said Randy Schneider, an ex-officio program specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "This is a great connection to that."

NOAA and the Volvo Ocean Race designed the Web site as an educational tool for middle-school students, specifically eighth graders. Teachers in the Chesapeake Bay region will be able to download lesson plans and activities to teach students about the science of sailing.

"We knew this was exciting for kids, so we said why not build curricular support for the teachers?" said Betsy Kulle, the education coordinator for Ocean Race Chesapeake.

An extra element of fun for kids includes a competition, challenging classes to correctly predict which boat will get to Baltimore first from Rio de Janeiro, Franciotti reported.

"The class that wins gets to stay on the USS Constellation (in the Inner Harbor), spending the day with some of the sailors," Kulle said.

The site also offers global hazard imagery, giving students a look at weather events such as this weekend's deadly earthquake in south Asia.

"These activities allow the kids to see this part of the world and allow these kids to jump in to use the race like a window into math, science and geography education," said Dave Jones, CEO and president of StormCenter Communications, an Ellicott City-based environmental monitoring firm.

The Volvo Ocean Race starts Nov. 12 from Spain and is expected to reach Baltimore by April.