Eden Leonard, Educational Director of the World Ocean School instructs students on the Roseway Schooner as Marblehead native Skipper Rich Wilson, 2008 Vendee Globe skipper, looks on.
Here’s an article published in the Harvard Magazine about Rich Wilson, our ‘Teacher at Sea.’
http://harvardmagazine.com/2013/09/racing-past-antarctica
Rich Wilson speaking to a group at the New England Aquarium about his book, ‘France to France, Leave Antarctica to the Starboard.’
Rich describes his arrival back to Les Sables-d’Olonne after his voyage around the world.
I went to see Rich Wilson give a talk about his book ‘France to France, Leave Antarctica to the Starboard’ at the New England Aquarium. At the end of the amazing talk he shared news of the GA4 and the possibility of Vendee Globe 2016. Wow…
Skipper Rich Wilson signs his book’ “France to France, Leave Antarctica to the Starboard’
This evening Skipper Rich Wilson will give a book talk about his recent book, “France to France, Leave Antarctica to the Starboard” at the New England Aquarium in Boston, MA. His book, reviewed in the Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323277504578189384018410530.html retells his voyage around the world in the Vendee Globe in 2008. Few people have experienced a journey like this and fewer have taken the time to write their story. It’s quite an amazing story.
http://www.neaq.org/education_and_activities/programs_and_classes/aquarium_lecture_series/index.php
Rich Wilson sailed from NY to Melbourne in September 2001. The students in my computer classes followed his amazing voyage racing against the record of the ghost ship, the Mandarin via his http://www.sitesalive.com web site. After he returned to the US, he presented our school with a yacht ensign that flew on the Great American II on October 23, 2001, the day that we spoke with him via a satellite phone call in the middle of the South Atlantic. A decade later, we continue to proudly display this yacht ensign on the wall in the computer lab. Our classroom is filled with images of new and old friends whom we met in many countries of the world as a result of following these voyages. We have learned from and shared with these teachers and students over the decade. Thank you Rich, for inspiring us and helping us to reach well beyond the classroom walls for this amazing journey.
Here is a close-up view of the GAII yacht ensign flown on the GAII 10/23/2011 --10 years ago!
Here is a view of the framed yacht ensign of the Great American II.
The side view of my classroom including the time zone clocks.
A bulletin board with photos of friends around the world.
Last week when the fifth graders went on their field trip to the schooner Roseway, we had a very special guest on board. When we got to the dock, we were greeted by our very own ‘teacher at sea’, Skipper Rich Wilson! He had kindly accepted our invitation to join us on our very short journey at sea. What an honor! Our school had been following his voyages for the past decade and now, here he was, to join us on our first! He watched us raise and lower the sails, learn how to tie knots, and to use a nautical chart. He could tell right away that the crew on the Roseway were an enthusiastic and experienced group of young educators. They did a great job! And his young friends at Jackson worked hard to learn everything that they could on our journey. At the end of the journey, he took some time to meet each of student crew on the Roseway. We took photos with each group of students (groups were given the names ‘Jib’ ‘Jumbo’ ‘Foresail’ ‘Mainsail’ ).Some shouted ‘cheese’ while others shouted ‘Roseway’ and ‘sailing.’ I’m sure that we will all be out at sea again sometime soon. It was an exciting day for all! Thanks Skipper Rich for making the day even more special!
Skipper Rich Wilson, the only US sailor who competed in the epic 08-09 Vendee Globe race, will once again share his amazing journey; this time with Falmouth visitors at McDougals Cape Cod Marine Services in Falmouth, MA. His 5:30 PM talk on August 7th is open to the public. A few weeks ago Rich gave his presentation at the Wianno Club in Osterville, MA. I had seen Rich’s presentation at MIT in March and recommended the presentation to a friend who went over to Osterville to see him. My friend was so inspired by Rich’s talk that he told all of his friends about it.
Rich Wilson shares what it was like to be at sea, alone, for 121 days. Actually he was hardly alone. Thousands of people around the world, young and old, were following right along with him via his sitesalive.com website. It was an unforgettable journey that will remain a proud part of sailing history. I hope that everyone has the chance to listen and learn as Rich retells his story.
The VG lecture that Rich Wilson gave at MIT is archived at the following link: http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/768 It’s a great recap of his sailing adventures.
On April 19th, Skipper Rich Wilson celebrates his sixtieth birthday. Over the past decade the students who I work with followed Skipper Rich as he sailed from NY to Melbourne, AU in 2001; from Hong Kong to NY in 2003; from Plymouth, UK to Boston in the Transat 2004; and most recently around the world in the Vendee Globe. What amazing accomplishments! Happy Birthday Skipper Rich! Thanks for your inspiration!
Last Friday eight of my students went down to the MIT Museum Second Friday program to hear Rich Wilson speak. It was great fun for me to watch the students listening to a person that they had only seen, heard and read about on the web. Now he was right there in front of them. I wondered what it must have been like for them. I know that at the end of the presentation, they wanted to have the chance to go up to him in person to congratulate him and tell him the things that they were doing as part of his shore team.
Here are two recordings that they did while he was at sea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulBBNVzfTYg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBrtPkDA2iw