Month: February 2009

Question asked by Gunther: How many sailors are participating in Vendee Globe this year, and what countries are they from? Answer: There are 30 skippers in the Vendee Globe race

Question asked by Samanta: How much food did you have to bring on that 100 day trip? What if you run out of food before you get to the finish

Question: Why did you want to sail? How long have you been sailing for? asked by Kiri, Hawkesdale, Australia Answer: Dear Kiri, I started sailing with my Dad when I

Question asked by Ghislaine: A-hoy it’s Primary 4/5 from St James’s Primary School in Paisley, Scotland are learning all about The Vendee Globe Challenge. Today we were learning all about

Question asked by Kira: Rich, in the ship’s log you wrote about thunderheads. What are they, and are they dangerous?- Kira from Carolyn Sheild’s classroom Answer: Thunderheads are huge clouds

Question asked by pruthvi: If you were to go to a school after the race what would you tell them? Answer: I’d talk about lots of things. I’d talk about

Question asked by Samanta: How bad do you miss your family and friends? If you could take one person with you, who would it be and why? Answer: I miss

Question asked by Jamie: Rich, How’s your mainsail holding up after 70+ days? Answer: Our mainsail is doing OK. So far so good. It is a much “beefier” sail than

Question asked by Carolyn: How long did you have to train for this race? What did you do to qualify for this race? – Erin Answer: Well, in a way,

Question asked by Carolyn: What is it like to wake up in the morning in the middle of the ocean? –  Emma Answer: Dear Emma, When the seas are calm

Question asked by Carolyn: What are some things you have to keep in mind to survive out there? – Vishwesh Answer: Dear Vishwesh, There is a saying at sea: “One

Question asked by James: Are you familiar with or do you ever use a sextant to confirm your positions? Answer: We do have sextant aboard, yet so far I have

Question asked by Carolyn: What do the shore support crew do? I saw Brian Harris and Rick Williams listed on the web site, but wondered how they help you while

Question asked by Carolyn: Why do people’s dreams change as they get older? I’d bet that you didn’t dream of sailing in Vendée Globe when you were four years old.

Question asked by Scott: Hi Rich, Your journey is awe inspiring. In your logs you reference “ice gates” at various times. Just what is an “ice gate?” Best of luck

Question asked by Bill: I read your ships log daily. Can you explain what the following means: 2005utc 44/26s 118/41w Answer: Those numbers and letters that I put at the

Question: What or who inspired you to enter the race? Answer: I’ve followed the Vendée Globe since it began in 1989, yet I never wanted to do the race. I

Question asked by Marie-Agnès: What do you find most difficult to cope with during this race, and on the other hand what do you most enjoy ? Answer: The pace

Question: My class would like to know what you do for entertainment. Answer: I have an iPod aboard, and I listen mainly to familiar rock-n-roll. Sometimes I listen to classical

Question asked by Rachael: Have you so far had any serious conditions about your boat? Answer: So far we’re doing pretty well; no serious problems. But there is a list

Question asked by Susan: Have you encountered any unusual marine life? asked by Mitchell Enrichment, Gadsden, AL Answer: Recently, we’ve had waves that wash over the boat and leave tiny

Question asked by BT: Hey Rich…BT here…How do you manage electricty for all of your needs: the auto pilot, email/videos, navigation instruments, lights, etc. Answer: Great American III has a Yanmar

Question asked by Stephanie: If you barely have time to sleep, then how do you have time to type all of the reviews? Answer: The logs, essays, Q&A that I

Question asked by Neal: I’m doing a project on Cape Horn. Do you have pictures or paintings of Cape Horn that you can send me? If you don’t have anything

Question asked by Neal: Two skippers talked about losing their keel. What is a keel and how does it work? And why is a broken keel so bad for a

Question asked by Neal: How does a sextant work? How does it tell you where you are? Can you use them on land? asked by Charles Answer: Answered by Dava Sobel,

Question asked by Neal: Are Rich’s sleeping patterns OK? asked by Neal Answer: Answered by Prof. Dava Newman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Margaret MacVicar Faculty Fellow The sleep pattern represented by

Question asked by Jennifer: Where did the maritime rule come from that you always go the aid of another mariner in trouble? Answer: Mariners have aided each other in times

Question asked by Neal: Where did you go to school, and why did you decide to become a doctor? Is being an emergency doctor harder than being a regular doctor?