Question: Are you traveling alone?

Tim: Very much so. The idea of this race is for one person to sail the world. The rules require me to be alone.

Question: (St. Mary's states) Congratulations. Did you find the first leg challenging? What will you do differently for the second leg?

Tim: The first leg was very challenging. We had problems with some of the equipment on the boat. I wasn't able to sail the boat as fast and as hard as I wanted. I'm standing on the boat right now, with eight people working on it to make sure everything is working properly for the next leg of the race. For the second leg, I will have the time to pay more attention to the weather. Hopefully I'll be able to do better on the next leg.

Question: Where are you right now?

Tim: I am in Brixham, in South Devon, England.

Question: How long did it take you to cross the ocean?

Tim: It took me 17 days.

Question: I want to know how much [food] you have?

Tim: I have 55 days' worth of food. I'm bringing mostly oatmeal and cereal for breakfast. I have those little applesauce cups that you give to little kids. I bring bread, peanut butter, and tuna to make sandwiches. For dinner I bring freeze-dried food, which is developed for camping. I boil 2 cups of water, pour in the contents of the meal, and 10 minutes later I have a complete dinner. Nice and hot.

I bring regular water with me. I have a water maker on the boat. There's a desaltifying machine that takes in the water and literally squeezes the salt out, and then I have fresh water. It's the most important thing on the boat. The machine is called a desalinator.

Question: Mr. Kent, how do you keep food fresh? Do you have a fridge?

Tim: No fridge. The only fresh food that I bring is fruit, some vegetables, and bread. Everything else is prepared for long distances; it has preservatives in it. I have no way to make things cold.

Question: Do you fish on your boat?

Tim: I do not, the boat goes too fast. The fish can't keep up. The boat will go over 22 knots. To convert knots to miles, you multiply the knots by 1.15 to get miles per hour. So 10 knots would be 11.5 miles an hour. So when this boat is going 22 knots it's really flying.

Question: Please describe what your boat's living quarters are like.

Tim: The living quarters are very, very basic. I have one bunk on each side of the boat. In the middle I have a really wide sheet at my navigation station; it's where all my instruments and computer are. Right behind my navigation station is a tiny spot where I have a little one-burner stove, and that's it.

Question: Where do you sleep? Who looks after the boat when you are asleep?

Tim: Very good question. I generally sleep on the seat that's at my navigation station. And when I'm sleeping, the autopilot, an electronic steering unit, drives the boat. It's a very wide seat, and I lie down with my legs tucked in. It's actually very comfortable.

Question: Do you ever get seasick or homesick while you are on the boat at sea?

Tim: I don't get seasick, but I miss my children, so I get homesick. I get children sick—I miss kids. I miss Whitney and Alison [my daughters].

Question:How old are your kids?

Tim: Whitney is 9, she's in fourth grade. Alison is 8, she's in third grade. They go to elementary school in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

Question: Do you have any pets with you?

Tim: Nope, no pets. I'm pretty busy, so I can't take care of any pets.

Question: Have you seen any sharks or dolphins or any other kind of marine animals?

Tim: Lots of dolphins; dolphins are good luck. I've been lucky to see lots of them. No sharks, several types of pilot whales.

Question: It must be hard to be away from your family. What do you do to keep in touch?

Tim: I can talk to my family, I have a satellite telephone, so I can talk on the phone. But mostly, we communicate by e-mail. I can send e-mail from the boat very easily.

Question: How long is your trip?

Tim: This next leg is almost 8,000 miles long. I would guess it would take around 40 to 45 days. I should be back in Newport, Rhode Island, next year in late April of next year.

Question: Are you prepared for bad weather? Do you have heat in your boat?

Tim: I am prepared for bad weather that has to do with making sure we've got the right sails for the boat. As far as heat goes, I'm ready for cold weather, I have a nice heater on the boat that keeps me toasty warm out there.

Question: Is it lonely? Is it scary? Is it fun?

Tim: Believe it or not, it's not lonely, I'm very busy. I have a lot of contact with my family, my friends, and the kids I'm talking to now! It's hard to be lonely with all the contact I'm having with people. I'm not lonely. There are times when it is a little scary; it's more the anticipation of bad weather. I've never experienced bad weather that I couldn't handle.

Is it fun? You bet!! It can be a lot of fun. When the boat is going fast, that's fun. When the race is getting close, that's fun. When the weather is beautiful, that's fun.

Question: What do you like best about your journey? Least?

Tim: The best are the friends I've made among my fellow competitors and the great, great sailing. And the least, that's easy—being away from my daughters.

Question: Does your boat have things nailed in so when you hit waves your stuff won't go flying?

Tim: Yes, we do. We're very careful about storing things. We tie things down with bungee cords and ropes so everything stays in place when it's bouncy out.

Question: How many years have you been racing?

Tim: I've been racing for about 20 years.

Question: What is the prize for winning the race?

Tim: A trophy. That's it. I wanted to do this race because it's a personal challenge that I'm after. I'm not trying to be famous, or get rich, or win a prize. It's a challenge for myself.

Question: We are wondering if you will have your family meet you at some point during the journey?

Tim: Yes. My girls are going to be coming to Cape Town and, hopefully, to New Zealand and Brazil. And, of course, to the finish in Newport, Rhode Island.

Question: When did you start to learn sailing?

Tim: I started to sail when I was 11. I really liked it.

Question: I would like to know if it is nice to be far from civilization—no cars, noises, pollution?

Tim: It is very nice sometimes, mostly because you appreciate the beauty of our beautiful planet. I miss refrigerated foods and my friends and family. But I don't miss war and bad news and politicians. I miss the Packers.

Question: What country are you most looking forward to visiting?

Tim: Cape Town, South Africa. I'm really looking forward to seeing South Africa, because it's so different from anywhere I've been. I have friends who live there who have told me how beautiful it is, and I'm so eager to see it.

Question: Andrew wants to know if you have ever had your boat tip over?

Tim: I've had it tip on its side in really, really heavy wind. But I am not worried about that, because the boat is designed to do that and pop up again. And it did! Even if the boat completely flips over, it is designed to pop right up again.

Question: What would you do if you got sick, or had a hole knocked in your boat, or just any emergency?

Tim: I have gone through some medical training. I have a lot of medical supplies on board, including things I can use so I can actually perform minor surgery on myself. I have scalpels and staplers, to staple myself back together again. I have casts if I break a bone. I can set the bone and sail the boat into a port.

Question: Mr. Kent, St. Mary's asks if you are looking forward to the next legs? Or are you tired already after the 17-day sail?

Tim: I am very much looking forward to the next leg, I'm fully rested and the next leg should be very interesting. It will be a challenge since it's the longest time I've ever spent at sea.

Question: Where is your next stop and how long will it take for you to get there?

Tim: My next stop is Cape Town, South Africa. It will take me 40 to 45 days to get there. No stops along the way.

Question: Do you see any other boats when at sea?

Tim: Yes, we see lots of boats at sea. In the English Channel we see fishing boats, freighters, and tankers. Out at sea sometimes we see freighters and tankers.

Question: What do you have to entertain you while you are sailing out in the ocean?

Tim: I bring books. I like to read a lot. I bring novels, and biographies. I like to read about adventurers. Reading about adventurerers got me into this.

Question: Do you plan on participating in any other races?

Tim: I've been racing for years and years and years. So yes, I'll continue to race. I like the challenge and the competition. And I love the people I meet.

Question: How did you sleep when your autopilot wasn't working?

Tim: That is an extremely good question. The answer is that I could not. I had almost no sleep for the last three days of the trip. I get tired just thinking about it.

Question: How did you keep going?

Tim: I didn't have any choice. I just kept going. You just push yourself, it's a challenge.

Question: Do you have a bathroom on board?

Tim: No. There's a very primitive toilet on board. It's a bucket. Finally, I would like to say how much I enjoy being able to communicate with the kids and the questions they ask, and the fact they're interested enough to ask them. It's exciting for me to answer them. I'm enjoying this, and I hope the kids will enjoy following the race for the next seven months. I look forward to doing what we're doing right now [an online chat] again soon! Read those Scholastic magazines, and read, read, read, read, read. Anything you can get your hands on!

If you want to ask Tim your own question, click here, and be sure to check back for more live interviews!