Slept more last night, at the chart table, but with sleeping bag, boat rocketing along, the pain in my rib is stable/moderate. Had a big rainstorm in the middle of
Month: November 2008
By Dr. Chris Fanta, Brigham & Women’s Hospital While the challenges that Rich Wilson and the skippers of Vendée Globe face are enormous—managing a large sailing vessel by yourself, day after
By Rich Wilson, Aboard Great American III What better symbol could there be for the interconnectedness of the world than the Vendée Globe, a non-stop around-the-world sailing event? As a skipper
Way back at the start of the race, in the difficult conditions of a bad seaway six of the fleet, including us, missed a buoy that was supposed to be
This is a screenshot of MaxSea, a weather analysis and routing software program that many of the boats use. The red icon is Great American III. The two blue lines, southwest of
Le soleil brille, c’est un bel jour. Je suis arrete hier soir pour une heure et demi avec la grande voile pour fair une petite ajustment a la drisse. Je sais la
Today was an easy day for sail changes with only minor adjustments, but it was a difficult day for my back. Yesterday the pounding of the boat was so bad
95 miles to the equator. We thought that we’d escaped the doldrums yesterday, but that was not the case. On the weather maps you could see the pressure gradient chasing
I think that we’re through the doldrums, finally. Yesterday was a bad day. We sailed into the doldrums in the dark of the morning, under a cloud so black and foreboding
by Dava Sobel, author of Longitude Skipper Rich will soon cross the Equator, 0º latitude, the great dividing line between Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres. Having traveled from 46º30´N at the
by Rich Wilson, Skipper Great American III For a mariner, crossing the equator – the Line – is a major event. The tradition for a first-timer is an onboard ceremony where
Question asked by Dan: I noticed that the Great American III is made of carbon fiber. How does your vessel handle compared to similar vessels that are made of aluminum or any
Question asked by Webmaster: How did you prepare the race? asked by Gonçalo, 16, Azores, Portugal Answer: Dear Gonçalo, I love the Azores! I visited Horta in 2004. It is
by Captain Murray Lister, former Master, New Zealand Pacific Eighteen years ago Rich and I initially met when, on 22 November 1990, the first Great American capsized 400 miles West of Cape Horn
13/25N 24/31 W, about 100 nm south of Cape Verde Islands. Genaker (biggest jib) and one reef in the mainsail. Making about 11 knots in 16 knots of NE wind.
16/14N 22/19W, wind NE at 15, speed 10 kts, course 200deg, approaching ne islands of Cape Verde Islands. Went through the night last night with the reacher and a reef
by Dr. Brien Barnewolt, Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tufts Medical Center Proper preparation is everything. On board Great American III Rich has an extensive first aid kit, and he knows
24/07N – 18/17W, 17 kts NE, boatspeed, 12 knots, spinnaker, full mainsail, autopilot. Changed from spinnaker to genaker last night at midnight when the wind dropped to 5 knots and the
26/35N 16/42W 7 knots north wind, spinnaker, full main, 8 knots, on course of 223degT. Last night, we sailed close aboard Gran Canaria Island in the Canary Islands. We sailed
by Laura Mirabella, Shipping Broker The maritime industry can be a challenging and rewarding field for women. Thirty years ago it was difficult for women to break into this industry. In
by Rich Wilson, Skipper Great American III Looking at our chart explains the parade of ships that I saw last nightby their lights, and heard the night before on our radar
28/40N 15/23W, 1520Z, 22kts wind at ENE, course 180T, at 14 knots, solent and 1 reef in mainsail. Heading to pass Gran Canaria Island in the Canary Islands just to
Question asked by Webmaster: What does he eat on the voyage, and does he do a lot of fishing at sea? asked by Timmy, Wakefield, MA Answer: We have planned
Question asked by Webmaster: How do you get fresh water? Asked by Steph, Hawkesdale, Australia Answer: We have a reverse osmosis desalinator on board that makes fresh water out of
Question asked by Webmaster: Are you nervous? Asked by Sara, 16, Azores, Portugal Answer: YES! There is nothing wrong with being nervous, it keeps me on my toes. It makes
Question asked by Webmaster: How do you go get to sleep? Asked by Lachie, Hawkesdale, Australia Answer: Sleep on this boat, in the four trans-Atlantic passages that I’ve done for
33/06N 14/01W, Wind NE @ 18 kts, boatspeed 12 kts. Worked considerably today on the autopilot setups. This race is between sailors, but also between boatbuilders, sailmakers, riggers, and the
Wind is North at 17 knots, barometer is 1028mb and slowly dropping, boats speed is 10-13 knots, sails are reacher and full main. Last night I rolled up the solent
As the cold front approached the fleet, there were periods of intense rain. Before the front, there were forecast to be 40-45 knots of wind. These appeared. With big seas,
The winds at the start had been predicted for 10 days to be very strong and building. My great shore crew got off into our rented inflatable after hugs all
Nov 9, 2008 At the boat by 7:30 am, we had been given special tags to get through the police barriers which blocked certain roads near the port. At 7am,
by Rich Wilson, Skipper Great American III The Vendée Globe race instructions state simply: start at Les Sables d’Olonne (France), leave Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) to port, leave Cape
by Dr. Dava Newman, Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems My motto for teaching aerospace biomedical engineering at MIT is “Love, Act, Discover, and Innovate”, and this motto has