My class was looking at your photos from this last week. Your hands appear very blistered? How do you treat the blisters? Do you wear gloves?

by Rich Wilson | Feb 4, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk14

Dear Kim: Yes, I do wear sailing gloves which are leather and have the fingertips cut off so that you can still untie knots. Our Expert Dr. Barnewolt had recommended them before Vendée Globe 08, saying that they would support the joints in my fingers and hands, plus...

I notice that you have not gotten much sleep lately. How do you manage to stay awake with only a few hours of sleep?

by Rich Wilson | Feb 4, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk14

Dear Alexandra: Over many years and many miles at sea, I’ve learned that if you are sleeping and then woken up by something happening with the boat (it’s heeling over more,or not heeling, sails slatting, etc.) that if you don’t attend to it right...

Since you are allergic to grass, did you grow up with no lawn?

by Rich Wilson | Feb 2, 2017 | Q&A - 3-Asthma, Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk13

We did have a lawn in front of our house. And I would run around with my friends on it. And in the fall, when leaves would come off the trees, it was especially difficult for my breathing. Question submitted by Ruby, age 9, via News-O-Matic  

Is it hard having asthma while sailing? Also, do you have a waterproof inhaler in case it gets wet?

by Rich Wilson | Feb 2, 2017 | Q&A - 3-Asthma, Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk13

Dear Olivia: Yes, it’s hard, since sailing this boat involves so much exercise and when I am grinding the winches for 300 revolutions, I get out of breath. But one good thing is that the air is so clean, and doesn’t have the pollens that I am allergic to...

How long have you had asthma?

by Rich Wilson | Feb 2, 2017 | Q&A - 3-Asthma, Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk13

Dear Christopher: I’ve had asthma since I was a one-year old boy, so basically I’ve had it for my whole life. The big challenge when I was growing up was that at that time, there were no asthma medications for use in the home. If you had a severe asthma...

What is the name of the navigation software you are using and is it possible to use it on a pleasure boat?

by Rich Wilson | Feb 1, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk13

Dear Angelo: The software is called Adrena, and certainly it could be used on a pleasure boat. It’s quite complicated, but over time you learn the aspects of it that you want to use. It is a French product, and requires a dongle (a piece of hardware plugged into...