Daily Archives: March 13, 2009

Letters to the Skipper

Posted on by

Students in fifth grade worked in groups to write a letter to Rich. They used the Vendee Globe web site, articles in the online newspapers, and sitesALIVE for background information about the race. At the end of the period, the students shared their letters with peers.

Dear Rich Wilson,
I read your article in the newspaper and I want to say ‘Congratulations!’ Sailing around the world in 121 days, 41 minutes and 19 seconds must have been very hard. Dealing with hallucinations in the past must have been extremely hard to cope with, but you were very lucky that you didn’t have any this time, except in your dreams. I am sure it’s hard to download an anchor from the telephone in a dream but luckily that doesn’t happen in real life.

I know you must have worked 24/7 sailing. That must have been difficult to do. It must feel great to be the second American to make it all the way across the world. Your blogs really show the hard work you put inot this amazing voyage. I cannot believe you started sailing when you were three!

Sincerely,
Natalia and Jocie

Great job Rich!
It must have been so hard having asthma. If we went on a trip we would be lonely and tired. How did it feel to be the only American sailor in the race? I am sorry you had to miss many holidays. It must have been hard to miss your mother’s birthday. How did it feel to be the oldest person in the race. We are sorry you broke your rib? How are you feeling now?
Congratulations!
Your friends,
Libby and Caitlin

Dear Rich,
Fantastic job! Your perseverance through hard times has influenced us to capture our dreams of being an author and a doctor. You inspired us by doing your best and working until you accomplished your goal. For example, you had to face rough weather, being alone, and having injuries. We hope that other children have been inspired like we have. You’re a great role model and the Great American 3 is an amazing boat that helped you arrive safely in France.

Your friends,
Duschia and Dee-Dee

Dear Rich,
It is so amazing that you finished the race in 121 days on March 10, 2009. You are the second American sailor to complete the Vendee Globe. Can you believe that even before completing the Vendee Globe, you set three world records? I hear that you were tired and were happy to have a warm welcome from the people in France. Well, I bet we would be too, if we were sailing in your place!
Congrats on a great achievement!
Your friends

Dear Rich,
Congratulations on finishing the race! It is amazing that you finished the race in 121 days. Even though you did not finish in first place, it is still superb because this race takes a lot of skill and perseverance. It’s not just about winning, it’s about the educational gain. It has been a thrilling experience spending time in computer class tracking your race and discovering new facts about the Vendee Globe. We think that it is amazing that you started sailing when you were three years old and still continue the nautical adventures at the age of 58. That dream about downloading the anchor through the satellite phone was funny. It is hard to believe tha you can spend 121 days out at sea and your only source of entertainment is an iPod.
We heard about some of the marine life that landed on your boat. You must have had such a beautiful view out at sea with the blue ocean surrounding you and marine life everywhere.
To be the only American competitor in the Vendee Globe is fantastic. You did a terrific job representing our country. You are a true adventurer who survived many harsh conditions out at sea.
Sincerely, Dan, Josh, and Taylor

P.S. Nice music choice!

Dear Rich Wilson,
Congratulations! You have worked very hard to complete the race. Having a broken rib must have been a setback, but you were persistent and showed that anyone can complete anything. When I heard you were the oldest skipper to complete the Vendee Globe, it showed me that age doesn’t matter. You are a great role model and I know I will follow your example.
Your friend, Saoirse

Dear Rich Wilson,
Congratulations on your race around the world! We think it is amazing how you were able to survive with all those flying fish and the rough weather! In our last few weeks of computer class we have been making estimates of when you will arrive in France and how many days it will take you. According to our estimations you arrived faster than we thought.
We think it is really cool that you were the oldest skipper in the fleet and the only representative from the United States. And again, congratulations!
Sincerely,
Tori and Sophie

Dear Rich,
Congratulations! You never gave up on your voyage, even when you had a broken rib and had to fight an immense ocean of flying fish! But what amazes me most is that you have asthma! You didn’t let that stop you and kept going to achieve your dream. You are very modest and you did not want to come in first, you wanted to finish the race. I cannot believe that you spent 121 days away from home, including missing Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. You proved that you can’t let anything block your way for achieving your dreams, no matter what your age, race, or gender.
I want to be the youngest fencer in the Olympics to win a gold medal. I have been fencing for a year now and I am the only girl in my fencing class, but I don’t let that stop me! I am one of the best fencers in the class!
I also want to be a surfer. I have been surfing every summer in Hawaii since I was five. Even though I fall off my surfboard a lot and scrape my knees on the sharp coral, I keep on surfing.
Thank you for helping me to achieve my dreams. You are a true role model.

Sincerely,
Ariane

Dear Rich Wilson,
Congratulations on finishing the race. You must be a great sailor to finish in only 121 days! We estimated your ‘estimated time of arrival’ (ETA) and some people were right on target. I would have loved to see flying fish and whales. I think it would be a great learning experience. How could you consume 6000 calories a day when you spent all of your time sailing?
It must have been very hard to go through all those choppy waves and rough weather by yourself. I hope your rib is not hurting you anymore. After this, will you retire back to Marblehead or will you keep on sailing to get kids interested in learning? Either way, you have taught us all a very important lesson: if you have a dream, always follow it.
Your friend,
Jake

Dear Rich,
What a magnificent job completing the Vendee Globe in 121 days, 0 hours, 41 minutes and 19 seconds. My friend and I hope your rib and asthma are okay. We both have tracked you throughout the whole race. We were so excited when we saw you finish. We made an estimated time of arrival and were only a few hours off! You must feel great to see people again and sleep for more than 3 hours a night!
From,
Emmett and Liam

Dear Rich Wilson,
Congratulations for finishing the race in 121 days, 0 hours, 41 minutes, 19 seconds. I thought it was very interesting to sail the Vendee Globe. It would be cool to see flying fish, fish, whales, dolphins, and porpoises. It was amazing that The Great American III was able to make it through the race. I hope you have a safe trip back to Marblehead.
Your friend, Jack

Dear Rich Wilson,
Congratulations on completing the Vendee Globe. A gash over your eye and a broken rib must have been hard to deal with. Also having asthma would have been hard…not to mention all of the medicines. You have achieved many goals. Arriving must have been very exciting. Teaching about goals was a good reason to decide to do the race.
During computer class, we have been reading your blog and doing various projects on your trip. One of our projects was to find an estimated time of arrival for you. We came up with Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 11:00 p.m. We did this by looking at how fast you were going and found your location on Google Earth.
Good job!
Sincerely,
Anna and Gabrielle

Dear Rich,
Congratulations! Your achievement of sailing around the world is very spectacular. It must have taken a lot of endurance, skill and bravery. Your arrival at 8:43 a.m. was probably exciting! I noticed the crowds that greeted were immense and ready to cheer you on. I imagine sailing 28,000 miles was very difficult, especially without help. Now that you’ve arrived, I’m sure you’d want to put back your 121 days, 0 hours, 41 minutes and 19 seconds of sailing. It appears that eating 6,000 calories worth of food per day was worth it. Good luck on your present and future expeditions!
Your fans, Ming and Vikram

audio-2
Two fifth graders read aloud a letter that they wrote for Skipper Rich Wilson to congratulate him for the success of his voyage. They recorded their audiofile.