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Looking At And Longing For Mars: Reflections on a childhood dream.
A Robot May Not Harm a Human Being. Is The Opposite True?: Thoughts on the future rights of artificial intelligence.
Long After The Boys Of Summer Have Gone: What makes a relationship work?
Winter Of Our Feline Discontent: What the cat wants, the cat gets. But what DOES it want?
To Tell The Truth: There may be no honor among thieves, but can't we find it even in a few good men and women?
Should The Human Brain Retire?: We know that we cannot win forever. We know that machines will continue to improve. So why don't we let the human brain retire gracefully now, with honors?
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Published: Sep 16, 2005 01:40 PM
Mon - November 3, 2003
Strong To The Finish, But Does She Eat Her Spinach?
Raphaela Le Gouvello, who has previously windsurfed across the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, used a specially built board to accomplish her amazing journey. With a length of 7.8 meters and a midship with of 1.3 meters, it is built of epoxy resin and carbon fiber and more closely resembles a sailboat than a windsurfer.
But the similarity to sailing vessels doesn't end with the rig's appearance. The board contains three watertight compartments which hold a VHF-radio, GPS-navigation system, an Iridium satellite telephone, six spare sails and masts, and desalinization equipment. Solar cells atop the board recharge the electronics, while a unique 170 litre airbag system designed for the European space agency helps guard against capsizing in heavy seas.
Le Gouvello slept in the third compartment—a watertight tube. Her menu for the three month journey consisted entirely of dehydrated freeze-drying food, dry fruits and energy bars. A back up vessel trailed her windsurfer but did not approach closer than 200 m. during the voyage.
Not content to stop in Tahiti, Le Gouvello plans to complete her Pacific journey by surfing from Tahiti via the Fiji Islands to New Caledonia, and from New Caledonia to Australia in 2004.
Truly an incredible achievement.