Even to many seasoned Vendée Globe fans Britain’s Pip Hare was a complete unknown before the start of the last race.
But with her good humoured, smiling communication and effervescent joie de vie – her sheer tenacity and pleasure to be competing on the solo round the world – she proved enchanting and inspiring to race watchers all over the globe.
Racing one of the oldest boats in the race, Medallia, which started life as Bernard Stamm’s Superbigou, Hare delivered a commendable performance – even though she lost time when she had to replace a rudder blade in the depths of the Southern Ocean, finishing 19th in a time of 95 days.
Almost immediately after finishing she and her sponsor Medallia upgraded to the powerful VPLP/Verdier foiling design which won the 2016-17 race in the hands of Armel Le Cléac’h – and still holds the 74 days race record – before becoming Louis Burton’s Bureau Vallée which finished third on the last Vendée Globe.
She has achieved consistent results with the new boat, 12th in the Route du Rhum and again 12th in the Transat Jacques Vabre.
The boat was substantially updated last winter with new bigger foils complementing the bow modifications made which have ensured Medallia is a better allround performer, as evidenced by Hare’s ninth in the New York Vendée Les Sables race this spring.
An accomplished ultra distance runner – who notably said before her 2020-21 Vendée Globe ‘a marathon is never enough – the 51 year old Brit sailed tens of thousands of miles herself before doing the Mini Transat and moving into Class40. She has also coached extensively and writes regularly for Yachting World magazine.
Pip Hare is the only foreign based team racing in the Vendee Globe – based in Poole – all the other foreign teams are based in France, including the two other Brits, Sam Goodchild and Samantha Davies. But Pip and her team are the only overseas team to have stayed the full three weeks in Les Sables d’Olonne pre-start.
She adds . . . “I did want to enjoy it, but I also want my team to enjoy it. And we have a nice house it’s my best opportunity, probably, of relaxing.”
“Because all the time that I am at home, this is my life. I’m surrounded by that kind of work ethic, that idea that I should be working all the time. And instead it’s almost like I’m giving myself a holiday by going out to the race village and staying there.”
On her worries and her approach to the race . . . “I guess the bit I’m most worried about is the start, I would say. Because historically, I’m just not very good. I don’t warm up for a couple of days. And, I recognise that in this fleet you can’t behave like that anymore. So I think the start is a major milestone for me to get over.”
“The Southern Ocean is a big unknown, massive unknown. And that’s the ‘big scary monster under the bed’! But my biggest learning, I think, from the last race was that I massively underestimated the last four weeks. And so, one thing I’m definitely going to do differently is, is just make sure I’m in much, much better shape when I leave the South.”
“Then there is still a long way to go and many, many cards to play. There’s still so much of the race left, which is a window of opportunity, it’s a time to really make the most of what you’ve got.”
40 solo skippers will start the Vendée Globe Sunday off Les Sables d’Olonne, France on the west coast of France. The race itself starts at 13:02hrs CET.
