What did you study in school, that most prepared you for Vendée Globe?

by Rich Wilson | Jan 20, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk11

Dear David: I liked math when I was in school, especially geometry and trigonometry. I liked how orderly it was, and you could get an actual answer, whereas in English class it was more about interpretation, and I wasn’t as good at that. Within the structure of...

How do the stars look at night from your boat?

by Rich Wilson | Jan 19, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk11

Dear Annya: We have not seen many stars on this trip because of the weather, and that is very disappointing. On other voyages, I would spend a lot of time at night looking at the stars, and studying a book called The Star Book by H. A. Rey. It is the best star book...

What did you like to play when you were a kid?

by Rich Wilson | Jan 19, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk11

I liked to play soccer (which is football in every other country in the world!) I wasn’t big enough to not get hurt if I played American football, and besides, the soccer seemed much more clever and intricate than the brute force of football. I also liked to...

What will you remember most about the sea?

by Rich Wilson | Jan 17, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk11

Dear Abril: For this trip, I will remember most the camaraderie that developed between the group of boats in the Southern Ocean, in particular with Alan Roura, and with Eric Bellion, plus I had nice emails with Enda, Roman, Fabrice, and Arnaud. And also, I will...

How do you cope with instant gusts and is it a situation you often encounter? How effective are weather forecast data to predict these instant gusts?

by Rich Wilson | Jan 17, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk11

Dear Arda: The weather forecasts cannot forecast individual gusts, but they can forecast if an area, such as a front, where the wind will change direction rapidly, will have gusts, and they can suggest how strong the gusts might be, above the forecast average wind...

Can you tell us about the offshore traditions sailors like you have?

by Rich Wilson | Jan 15, 2017 | Q&A - RichWilson, Q&A-RW-wk11

Dear Irapuato students: One tradition is to put a coin under the mast for good luck. I put five, in front of the mast! The first, leading the way, is the Sacagawea silver dollar. Sacagawea was the Indian woman who guided Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the...