Sailor Comes "Home" to the Hommocks After Breaking 154 Year Old Record

by Judy Silberstein photos by Mary Everett

(June 13, 2003) Rich du Moulin began his record-breaking, 72 day sailing adventure with a visit to the Hommocks, and he ended the journey with another "victory visit" with the seventh graders who had been following his trip via telephone, email and the Internet. On Friday, June 13, Rich and his wife Ann du Moulin returned to the Hommocks to share a video presentation and answer questions from students and staff.

The sailing adventure had a double purpose: 1. to see if the modern trimaran Great American II could break the record set by the clipper ship Sea Witch 154 years ago, and 2. to involve school children in the journey through an innovative educational program called sitesALIVE! With this final visit to the Middle School, the du Moulins were continuing the educational aspects of the adventure. (See the Gazette Features Index for more articles on the Great American II Voyage.)

Food was a major topic of interest for the Hommocks thirteen year-olds, and for du Moulin as well. The only time he got sick on the voyage was by eating moldy cabbage. The first thing he did after the dockside celebration at Chelsea Piers was to head for a Carvel. Then he went to the Larchmont Tavern for a hamburger. Then he had a slice of local pizza. And then he went home for dinner.

The students were also interested in the animals du Moulin encountered on his sail. "I loved your story about Fred the Flying Fish," commented one student. "How many flying fish did you see?"

"We saw billions and billions," responded du Moulin. "Some landed on the the boat at night when they couldn't see us. If you got hit in the eye with one though, it could do a lot of damage," he noted.

The modern mariners also sighted lots of birds. "The largest of the birds were albatrosses," du Moulin reported, "and they would follow us for miles and miles."

The most challenging part of the journey, he admitted, was getting along with Rich Wilson, the sole other human aboard. "We had common goals though and got along well for 72 days," du Moulin said.

At the end of the morning the Hommocks students presented du Moulin with an album of letters and pictures, and shirt emblazened with the Hommocks Middle School logo to symbolize that "He's become a part of our community," explained Mary Everett, head of the science department.

Assistant Principal Larry Keane, who had been instrumental in bringing the program to the Middle School, thanked du Moulin for sharing his ocean challenge with the Hommocks.

Check the Larchmont Gazette Index for weekly articles from March to May 2003 describing Du Moulin's trip aboard the Great American II.