Do you fish on your boat?

by Rich Wilson | Dec 19, 2016 | Q&A, Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk7

Dear Ileana, No I don’t, and I don’t think any of the other skippers do. Mostly it is because the boat is going too fast to fish, and also because even if you caught a fish, then you have to filet it and cook it, and it is too time consuming to do that for...

How are you planning to celebrate Christmas on your boat?

by Rich Wilson | Dec 19, 2016 | Q&A, Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk7

Dear Jay, I will celebrate Christmas by having a few treats with my Turkey Tetrazzini freeze-dried dinner, and then call friends and family back home. I won’t do a lot of celebrating because in fact, if I do, it will remind me that I am alone and very far away,...

Are there water tight compartments designed into the boats? In a serious collision will they be able to stay afloat until a rescue is affected?

by Rich Wilson | Dec 15, 2016 | Q&A, Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk6

Dear Jim, Open 60 Class Rules require there to be 5 watertight bulkheads across the boat, thus making 6 compartments. Also, and this seems to be a very good idea, there is a requirement that there exist, in physical buoyance within the construction of the boat, 130%...

Are more icebergs breaking off Antarctica due to a changing climate, or not? Perhaps there is another reason that the hazard has moved north?

by Dr. Jan Witting | Dec 14, 2016 | Q&A, Q&A - DrJanWitting, Q&A-Expert-wk6

Hi Rich: First off, congratulations on your progress! It looks like you’re only some 170 nautical miles from the ice exclusion zone!  The ice exclusion zone has grown from your last race, and the main reason is that the number of icebergs sailing around the Southern...

Why are the boats not allowed in the Antarctic zones?

by Capt. Murray Lister | Dec 14, 2016 | Q&A, Q&A - CaptMurrayLister, Q&A-Expert-wk6

Good Day Bryon: On observing the tracking charts for the Vendée Globe yachts, you will see a limiting line, encircling the Antarctic, basically known as the Ice Limit.  Yachts racing in the Vendée Globe risk a penalty for entering this zone. Reason is because of ice. ...

Has the chance of hitting an object of greater concern today, or has that risk essentially stayed the same over the last 15 or 20 years?

by Dr. Kara Lavender Law | Dec 14, 2016 | Q&A, Q&A - DrKaraLavenderLaw, Q&A-Expert-wk6

Modern technology assists seafarers in ways that were unimaginable just decades ago.  Weather satellites and meteorological models provide excellent real-time information about weather conditions, as well as reliable forecasts days out.  State of the art satellite...