Week 8—June 5, 2004
Do you help Rich with his sleep?
Asked by Neal, Massachusetts, USA
By Dr. Claudio Stampi, Director, Chronobiology Institute
The Transat rules do not permit any outside assistance to competitors during the race, and this includes any help regarding sleep management. However, we are monitoring Rich’s sleep minute by minute through a wrist-worn device called Actiwatch. The Actiwatch records Rich’s physical patterns when he is at work, at rest, or asleep. Every four to five days, Rich will send us the data collected by the Actiwatch, and that data will help Rich improve his sleep patterns in future races in which he participates. He will not see the results until after the race is over.
Observing how Rich managed his sleep during his
solo 2000-mile delivery of Great American II from Boston to Horta, Azores may give
us a clue of how Rich is sleeping now during the race. In that delivery, Rich slept an
average of only 3.7 hours per day, distributed into approximately nine naps each day.
About one third of those naps were taken during daytime hours, the remainder at night, and
their duration ranged from 15-20 minutes up to a maximum of about 70 minutes.
Do you ship goods to Iraq?
Madeline, California, USA
By Capt. Bill Schubert, Director, U.S.
Maritime Administration
Yes, the Maritime Administration is involved with the U.S.-flag merchant marine in
shipping goods to Iraq and Afghanistan, both in support of our troops and in the
reconstruction and rebuilding of those nations. Approximately 90 percent of all waterborne
cargo shipped from the United States to Iraq and Afghanistan has moved on U.S. flag-ships
manned by U.S. merchant mariners. In addition to the weekly commercial U.S.-flag ships
sailing to those nations, the Maritime Administration utilized 40 of our reserve vessels,
which are government ships kept on stand-by in case of emergency. More than 7,600 U. S.
merchant mariners, including 83 U. S. Merchant Marine Academy Midshipmen, were employed
aboard the U.S-flag ships.