Slow Boat to Melbourne: Pip Hare’s inspiring Vendée Globe journey
Orla Cronin writes…
I don’t habitually follow the big ocean races, but this year, I started to pay attention to the Vendée Globe. This was partly because there was a record entry of six female competitors (there have only been 12 women competitors in the whole history of the Vendée Globe, with 15 starts between them), so a bit of sisterly solidarity kicked in. However, I was mainly reeled in because Ocean Youth Trust South (OYTS), where I volunteer, is an official supporter of Pip Hare and her Medallia team.
A tough break: Medallia loses its mast
Pip is a South Coast sailor who runs her campaign from Poole rather than France, an unusual choice in the world of professional sailing. I haven’t yet managed to meet Pip, but some of my fellow crew members hung out with her last summer and were blown away by her professionalism, and by her commitment to OYTS
I became obsessed with her journey over Christmas when, 800 nautical miles south of Australia, Medallia was dismasted. Pip’s daily video updates, quickly renamed “Slow Boat to Melbourne,” became essential viewing. Full of technical insights and personal reflections, her vlogs documented the challenges of solo ocean racing. Pip manifested such grace, vulnerability, resilience and resourcefulness, that I became hooked for the whole duration of her jury-rigged odyssey to Melbourne.
Hare is a yachting journalist, and has also served on MAIB panels. The technical detail she shares, and the vividness of her explanations, are a delight. In particular, we see how her jury rig evolved from simply making everything safe to a tuneable, stayed stub, complete with sheets and 2 tri-sails. She went from racing at speeds over 20 knots, to carefully navigating towards Melbourne at just 4 knots – avoiding making too much leeway and drifting towards Tasmania!
If you missed her updates, you can catch up on her journey on YouTube: Pip Hare Ocean Racing. Start with “Vendee Globe 2024: Update from onboard Medallia”, posted just after the dismasting, and follow her 11-part series.
Life lessons from the Vendée Globe
After she reached Melbourne, I found myself missing the daily updates, so I picked up her book, “In My Element: Life Lessons from the World’s Toughest Solo Ocean Race.” It details her previous Vendée Globe, including a dramatic mid-Pacific rudder replacement.
Meanwhile, the rest of the sisterhood in the race is doing well:
- Justine Mettraux is running 8th
- Clarisse Crémer and Sam Davies are at 11th and 12th
- Isabelle Joschke is in 15th
- Violette Dorange, just 23 years old, is in 27th
Dorange recently had to climb her mast in a Force 6 wind and 2m swell. Watch her on Tik Tok and shiver: she didn’t call it a cauchemar (nightmare) lightly!
A record-breaking race
As we brace for Storm Éowyn at home, let’s send some vibes to the sailors, some of whom are likely to be flicked by its cold front. The race winner, Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), set a new course record of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes, and 49 seconds. An impressive feat, though it’s worth noting the vast financial resources behind that boat, including a full-size, shore-based replica of the cockpit. Medallia, contrarily, was quite late getting a title sponsor. No rolling around on beanbags for Charlie: he had a custom shaped mattress!
Whether you enjoy the human-interest side, or you appreciate the technical detail of sailing and maintaining an Imoca, an incredible machine, I thoroughly recommend Pip’s podcast and her book. There’s an extract here.
Whether it’s telling us about your own sailing adventures, or sharing something that has inspired you, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch.