Planning an Adventure
Planning an adventure can be very exciting, but it also can be stressful. You want to have a good time, so you want to make sure you’ve planned ahead and thought logically about problems that might arise. It can be really frustrating to realize you’ve left something important behind.
That is even more of a problem when you’re on a boat and can’t stop for supplies or assistance in fixing a problem. It’s not like Skipper Wilson can just run to the hardware store if something breaks. He has to have a plan to fix it and the tools aboard the boat.
You also have to consult maps, devise routes, and analyze lots of data when you’re planning an adventure. You have to make sure your boat is in tip-top shape. And you have to make sure you are in peak physical shape, too. Skipper Wilson talks a little bit about his training in this video:
Finally, when your whole adventure is going to take place on a 60-foot-long boat, you don’t have a lot of storage room. You have to make hard choices about what you take with you. You need to pack the normal things you’d take on a trip—maps, food, clothing, and any medicine you might have to take (Skipper Wilson, for instance, has to take asthma medicine with him)— as well as supplies for the boat—different types of sails for all kinds of weather, computers, back-up equipment, and tools.
You have to be thorough in your packing choices. On the other hand, every item you take with you weighs your boat down and slows how quickly you can finish the race. So you have to pack smart.
Check out more about Skipper Wilson at his website, sitesALIVE!
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Students identify some of the skills and attitudes that are essential for solving problems effectively: Values and Attitudes (Lesson 3-5)
Students design, build, and test the specifications for a model boat to learn about load lines and cargo: Ships 2: What Floats Your Boat? (Lesson 6-8) Students must meet space and budget constraints to construct a spacecraft: Make a Mission (Tool 6-8) In this unit from Illuminations, teams of students consider what it takes to plan a trip: Planning a Trip (Unit 3-5) |
Nineteen Days and Counting
Nineteen days to go until Skipper Rich Wilson sets sail in the Great American III for a solo spin around the world in the Vendée Globe race.
Other useful information:
- SitesALIVE!, Skipper Wilson’s personal site
- Vendée Globe’s official homepage
- Les Sables-d’Olonne, the race’s home base [Click on the British flag in the top right corner to switch to English]
- Vendée Globe Junior, the French language site for kids and teachers
Check back often to see how the preparations are going.
