Category: Q&A

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?

Question asked by donna: How often does it rain in the rainforest? Answer by Dr Ioannis Miaoulis: Whether the rainforest is temperate or tropical, the frequency of rain depends on

Question asked by Jennifer: What kinds of activities do you do with your students for the Vendée? asked by Jennifer, 6th grade teacher Answer: Hi Jennifer, I choose one topic 

Question asked by Lacella: My first question is how did you become a National Marine Fisheries Service worker? What do you do during your work time? Answer: When I was

Question: Does Rich have to do exercises on Great American III to stay in shape? asked by Erin Answer: Hi Erin, I have given Rich numerous exercises to do on

Question asked by Neal: My dad says that pirate still exist. Is that true? asked by Mitchell Answer Laura Mirabella: Your father is correct that pirates still exist. Just recently

Question asked by Neal: How good are the wind battery chargers on Great American III? Should we use something like them in our homes? asked by Jenna Answer: Skipper Rich Wilson

Question asked by Bethany: Have you been in outer space? What’s it like? Answer: I have not been in outer space on the Space Shuttle or up to the International

Question asked by Jennifer: Is it harder for Skipper Rich to sail this race because he’s older than the other sailors? Answer: This is an excellent question. Truthfully, there are

Question asked by Jesse: Can climate change affect the race? Answer: The answer is no and yes. The changes in the climate are slow enough that they don’t really show

Question asked by Carolyn: To Rich: I saw the food section on the web site and wondered: Do you ever get sick of eating the same food? What one food

Question asked by Katie: Have you seen any sharks? asked for Emma, age 4 Answer: Dear Emma, No I haven’t seen any sharks.The water is very cold here, and I

Question asked by Katie: Do you get to speak with your family back home in Massachusetts at all? If so, how often? Answer: Dear Katie, Yes, I speak with my

Question asked by Sarah: Where do you poop? Answer: Just like they did it in the old days: into a bucket and then over the side.

Question asked by Webmaster: Why did you want to sail? How long have you been sailing for? Kiri, Hawkesdale, Australia Answer: I started sailing when I was a young boy,

Question asked by Matthias: Hello everybody. Seeing Rich’s video, I wonder if these are buddhist prayer flags on the portside stern section? I wish you well, Matthias Steingass, Zuerich. Answer:

Question asked by Ann: My students would like to know what you eat on the boat? Can you heat your food? How do you brush your teeth or shower? Answer:

Question asked by Ardross: When you’re very tired, it’s not safe to do many things such as drive a car. You do not seem to get much sleep so how

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

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

Question asked by Neal: In one of your articles, you said that you don’t get to go to sea much anymore. Why? And what do you like about going to