Around-the-World Sail Racer Rich Wilson to Speak at Mystic Seaport Adventure Series

Rich Wilson, the sole American to race in the 2008 Vendée Globe, will speak at the final program of this year’s Mystic Seaport Adventure Series Thursday, April 15.

Presentations will be given at 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Mystic Art Cinema in Olde Mistick Village. The series has been moved from its original location at Seamen’s Inne due to the restaurant’s ongoing renovations. Mystic-area restaurants Steak Loft, Go Fish, Ten Clams, Peking Tokyo and Mango’s Wood-Fired Pizza Company will offer a 10-percent discount off lunch or dinner to attendees on the day of the program upon presentation of their ticket.

Wilson will share his experience racing 28,000 miles around the world—alone and non-stop—aboard the 60’ monohull, Great American III. As one of the 30 racers on the starting line in November 2008, Wilson, age 58, was both the oldest racer and the only U.S. entry. Nineteen skippers dropped out along the way, but Wilson finished 9th out of 11 finishers after four months at sea.

Educated at Harvard and with a master’s degree from M.I.T and Harvard Business School, Wilson was a math teacher in Boston, a Trustee of both the Sea Education Association and The School for Field Studies, and an Overseer of the Boston Museum of Science. Additionally, Wilson founded the sitesALIVE! Foundation, a non-profit platform to connect K12 classrooms to adventures and expeditions around the world. Wilson holds multiple sailing world records, including being the youngest winner of the famous Newport-Bermuda Race almost 30 years ago. The sailor’s voyages have been featured by Reader’s Digest, Sports Illustrated, NBC, CNN, The Today Show, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times, among others.

Tickets are $14 ($12 for members) for the afternoon program and $15 ($13 for members) for the evening program. Students can purchase tickets at the discounted rate of $5. For tickets, visit www.mysticseaport.org/tickets or call 860.572.5339.

Mystic Seaport has been hosting the Adventure Series for more than 60 years. The programs provide a unique opportunity to meet each “adventurer” firsthand and experience a wide range of challenges—both on the land and sea all over the world.