Laptop Internet connectivity at sea... How?

Mine's an iphone 4s, but that's what seems to happen. Also, if I hoist my phone up the mast in a sock I definitely won't be able to use it!

Umm nope. I did this to connect my laptop to the mobile phone by bluetooth, so that I could get grib files onto my laptop via my mobile phone. It came down again when I wanted to use the 'phone.
 
Unlikely to find a WiFi hotspot a few miles off the coast, but mobile signal is fairly good. So what's the best way of keeping my laptop connected to the internet when a few miles off the coast? A few years ago I had success by connecting the laptop to the mobile phone via bluetooth, then hoisting the mobile phone up the mast in a sock. But it does seem a bit 'Fred Karno'. Surely there's a better way? What do other folk do?
Bluewater? Use a Satphone.
 
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