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THE BOAT—Built in France in 1990 and designed by Nigel Irens, Great American II (GAII) is a 53-foot trimaran that Rich Wilson has sailed in two other record runs: New York-Melbourne (2001) and San Francisco-Boston (1993). Time and technology have made a great impact on the type of vessel that can transit oceans in record time. Sea Witch was 192 feet in overall length, displaced 908 tons, and carried an army of crew. GAII is 139 feet shorter than Sea Witch, displaces 7 tons, and will carry a crew of two. Before her departure, GAII will be berthed at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. After her arrival in New York, she will be docked at the Chelsea Piers Marina. The last time GAII sailed to New York City was on September 10, 2001. The crew postponed their departure for Australia by several days to help in the September 11 rescue effort; they began their record run to Melbourne eight days later.

THE CREW—Lifelong sailor and K-12 educator Rich Wilson, 52, lives north of Boston in the seaport town of Rockport, Massachusetts. He has twice broken sailing records of historic sailing vessels (San Francisco-Boston, 1993; New York-Melbourne, 2001). A 1990 record attempt nearly ended in tragedy when Great American, GAII’s predecessor, capsized in hurricane-force winds off Cape Horn and Wilson and his crew were rescued by a containership in a daring feat of seamanship. A life-long asthmatic who takes four medications daily, Wilson holds degrees from Harvard College, MIT, and the Harvard Business School. Richard du Moulin, 56, of Larchmont, New York, has competed at all levels of sailing competition-including four America's Cup campaigns, two Transatlantic races, and 17 Newport-to-Bermuda races. In the shipping industry, he spent 15 years with Ogden Marine, Inc., after a three-year stint as a US Navy officer, then bought and operated Marine Transport Lines. He sold the company after 12 years and with a partner founded Intrepid Shipping in Stamford, Connecticut. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the Harvard Business School.

THE RECORD—74 days 14 hours / 14,255 miles

CURRENT RECORD HOLDER—Captain Robert "Bully" Waterman skippered a majestic clipper ship named Sea Witch in the days of the China Tea Trade, when fast passages from the Orient meant fresher tea and higher prices to a ship owner. His ship spread more canvas, for her size, than many of the clipper ships that followed her-and Waterman and Sea Witch together became legendary. In 1849, Sea Witch sailed from Hong Kong to New York in 74 days and 14 hours. Her record has never been broken.

HOW THE PUBLIC CAN FOLLOW GAII—The website tracking the voyage of Great American II is http://www.sitesalive.com/oceanchallengelive/. The Ocean Challenge Live! voyage is one of a series of sitesALIVE! educational programs that turn real-time adventure into interactive learning experiences for school children through the World Wide Web. Classroom licenses ($100US) and family licenses ($29US) can be purchased from Boston-based sitesALIVE! so classes and individual students and their families can track the daily progress of GAII, send questions to the crew, and read logs and journals sent from the boat.

For information or to purchase a license, go to http://www.sitesalive.com/oceanchallengelive/. The saga of GAII will also be published in a number of daily papers, in the Newspaper In Education supplements, and tracked on the AOL@SCHOOL program (keyword: sitesalive).

the sitesALIVE Foundation: A Larger Mission
In 1993, Rich Wilson founded Ocean Challenge, Inc. (Boston, Massachusetts) and pioneered a new learning concept called sitesALIVE!. The premise was simple: kids love adventure and they love computers; once they are hooked by the real-time adventure of online learning, teachers can use this format to make a multitude of subjects come alive. Some 65 full-semester sitesALIVE! programs have connected classrooms to live adventures and field schools on land and sea, and the programs have garnered awards and award nominations. Despite testimonials on the value of internet-based learning, many students and teachers-especially those in lower income or small school systems-cannot access the technology. The sitesALIVE Foundation was established in 2002 to address teacher training in computer technology and funding for budget-constrained schools. The mission of the sitesALIVE Foundation is to enhance K-12 education by promoting the use of technology with real-world, real-time content from around the world. Visit http://www.sitesalivefoundation.org/ for more information.

For more information on sitesALIVE!, contact:
sitesALIVE!
Tel: + 1 (617) 248-9777
Fax: +1 (617) 248-9778
info@sitesalive.com

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