I noticed that your lung peak flow has increased significantly from 59 to the high 80s, and that it is consistently greater than 80 more than three weeks into the race. To what do you attribute the improved performance of your lungs?

Dear Neal, I think that there was some reaction I had to some of the area near where we stayed before the start. Plus there was a lot of stress, and stress is a trigger for my asthma, just as smoke, or cats/dogs, trees/flowers, are. I was quite tense for the weeks (and months really) leading up to the race, and that aggravates my asthma. Finally, when we are at sea, it is still stressful, but the air is cleaner, and the stress is simplified. Now we must sail the boat, and not do all the myriad briefings and presentations, and entertaining, and so on that we had to do on land. I think that is why my lung function has improved.

Question submitted by Neal, Weymouth MA, USA