News: Branson Sets Sail to Break Atlantic World Record

Text by Laura Buckley

Sir Richard Branson and his 24-person crew left the North Cove Marina in New York's Battery Park City early Wednesday morning for what they hope will be a record-breaking sail across the Atlantic, as reported by the New York Times. The billionaire British businessman, along with his top-notch crew of America’s Cup and Olympic sailors, hope to beat the current record of six days, 17 hours, 39 minutes, 52 seconds, set by Mike Sanderson’s Mari Cha IV. That means the Virgin Money, a 99-foot maxi yacht, will have to complete the journey by 9:39.52 p.m. on October 28. The Virgin Money is scheduled to dock in Lizard Point, the most southwesterly point of Britain.

Branson is no novice when it comes to record-breaking attempts, including several around-the-world balloon flights with his close friend, Steve Fossett, who was recently presumed dead after his airplane wreckage was discovered near Mammoth Lakes, Calif. “This will be a wonderful trip to do in his memory,” Branson told the New York Times. We here at ADVENTURE wish Branson a happy and healthy sail!

Branson and arctic explorer Will Steger were awarded our lifetime achievement award last year for their environmental efforts and collaboration to dogsled across Baffin Island. See what Branson has to say about his life of adventure in this video.

Arctic Eyewitness: Back From Ellesmere Island

Photographer Ben Horton, 25, reflects on 60 days dogsledding across Ellesmere Island with Will Steger and five other young explorers for Global Warming 101’s second expedition.

Text and photographs by Ben Horton

The contrast of coming home from Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Artic reminds me of a light switch being thrown on in the early morning. The body recoils in sensory overload from the nonstop noise, motion, and the number of unchecked emails. I guess it didn’t help that our first real stop was in New York City. While on the expedition, it was normal to ski alongside the dogsleds for 25 kilometers without seeing a single sign of man for days in a row. Now we are forced to confront our “normal” lives, weaving in and out of people on busy sidewalks, crossing car choked streets, and choking on the smog that churns out of them.

See more photos and continue reading this story>>

Young Explorers Prepare for Ellesmere

This week, legendary polar explorer Will Steger (our Lifetime Achievement award recipient, along with Richard Branson) brought news of his upcoming Ellesmere Island emerging leaders expedition to the New York City ADVENTURE editorial office. In tow were teammates Sam Branson, 22, the down-to-Earth son of Sir Richard, and champion Norwegian musher Sigrid Ekran, 27.













In March, while retracing the footsteps of Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, and Otto Sverdrup, Steger's team of six young leaders (no one is over 28) will be dogsledding 1,400 miles over 60 days to document the sorry state of ice in the Arctic. As they cross fjords, mountain ranges, ice shelves, and sea ice, they will be sending in daily dispatches to Facebook, YouTube, and MySpace networks via Globalwarming101.com. "It all has to do with social engagement. We don't have ten years to take action against global warming," said Steger, who hopes his hand-picked team (which includes Nat Geo Young Explorer grantees Ben Horton, 24, and Sarah McNair-Landry, 21) can bring the message to a new audience. "My bets are on the 17- to 24-year-olds making the necessary lifestyle changes."













Young Branson, who joined Steger and his dad on last year's Global Warming 101 Baffin Island expedition, spoke about wanting to bring this message to his generation. "It would be a shame to win people's minds only to find out that it was too late," he noted at the Explorer's Club on Wednesday night. Branson, no stranger to the media circus surrounding pops, commented on how his time on the Baffin expedition, without cell phones, TVs, or other distractions, brought a clarity of mind missing from daily life.

For Ekran, who lives without running water or electricity in the company of her dog team in the Alaskan outback, the Ellesmere lifestyle will be familiar territory. "I spend 90 percent of my time with my dogs, which is probably why I am not so good at talking to people." Chatterbox skills aside, her expert mushing will be an invaluable addition to the team.

Stay tuned for more on this expedition.