Diplômé de Harvard en mathématiques, Rich Wilson a continué ses études au MIT et dans une grande école de commerce avant de devenir professeur à Boston, conseiller en défense à Washington, consultant sur la désalinisation pour l’Arabie Saoudite.

Thierry Dubois a construit ce monocoque pour le Vendée Globe 2000 avec quelques amis de La Trinité/mer.

It’s really a big relief to have made it into port! I'm not sure if I enjoyed it! It was very hard. A couple of nights ago we had a lot of wind. The motion was very violent and it was very physical. Not surprising I guess when you head into the Bay of Biscay in December. I’ve learned a lot about the boat certainly. I’ve basically spent the past 3 months sailing on the boat as we started off by delivering the boat across the Atlantic from Massachusetts for the TJV. I’ve done 14,000 miles since October 6th! That’s a lot of sailing and I’m really tired.

Finally out of the Azores doldrums, we have been rocketing across toward the coast with a position report average speed of 13.75 knots for the last time segment, and periodic sprints to 19 knots. Went through the inventory from reacher and full main to solent to 1st reef to staysail to 2nd reef, nearly into 3rd reef in order to gain options on heading higher as the low comes across...

Last posmaxsea report showing our 4 hour average of 0.86 knots says it all. Flat becalmed for ~10 hours, slatting, rolled up solent to save the fabric. Venus' reflection at dawn was perfect in the mirror calm. All is well aboard otherwise. Rich

Yesterday was Doldrums Revisited, little or no wind, shifty, rain from time to time. I even had a brief little northwesterly which contradicted the grib file precisely. In gathering wx data, I take the grib files, quikscat plus a host of static wxfax files, north atlantic surface analysis, 48 hour forecast analysis, 96 hour surface analysis, plus a 48 hour wind/wave forecast...

Through the trades, the motion aboard has been stunningly violent. You have to be very careful that you have your next handhold before you let go of your last. I've been being conservative, so the last 36 hours or so has been 3 reefs and staysail...

Although at the back of the pack, we've been trying to sail well and conservatively. Now staysail and 3rd reef in the main, off a bit in speed in the lulls, but fine in the puffs, and it takes a bit of load off the rig. We've leapt over some waves, and crashed into the troughs..

Learning to sail in Marblehead, Massachusetts, known for its light air, I became quite adept at being able to make a boat accelerate and increase its own apparent wind in 5 knots, or 7 knots or even 3 knots of wind. It was not a frustration for me, it was an intereting challenge at which I could succeed. But 0 knots of wind, that was different. I couldn't do anything with 0 knots of wind...

Since departing Salvador, I've had my eye on a short doldrums crossing that has opened at 33W. It has been persistent in the quikscat satellite radar data, and shows as well on satellite full disk images. It would allow a straightforward sail through, and then a sprint to the north to get westerlies to go around the Azores high....

12/03/2007/0928z 1/00N 33/08W Many sail changes yesterday and last night through squall lines. Making good speed. Spectacular stars in between clouds. Saw Southern Cross before departing Southern Hemisphere. Big decisions regarding...