Pip Hare has been one of the standout stories from this years edition of the Vend\u00e9e Globe. Now, as she sails up the Atlantic, the British sailor takes some time to answer Yachting World reader questions. Direct from the middle of the Atlantic, Vend\u00e9e Globe competitor, Pip Hare, exclusively answers questions by Yachting World readers on what it\u2019s really like sailing the challenge of a lifetime\u2026
\nQ: From Gareth Webb
\nDo you think the Mini 6.5m sailing was key in preparing you for this challenge? And are you tempted to go mast climbing and have a look at possibly fixing that wind sensor? Thank you for bringing the race into our homes in such a genuine and personal way. Go Pip!
\nPip Hare: Mini sailing was definitely the platform I\u2019ve used to get experience as a solo sailor in a fiercely competitive, but achievable and friendly race.
\nI tried to avoid going up the mast to fix the wind sensor \u2013 but I did it the other day after doing every other job on the list, and having good conditions, I couldn\u2019t avoid it any more.
\nPhoto Richard Langdon \/ Oceanimages
\nQ: From Helen Shrewsbury
\nYou are a fabulous communicator and have really brought the race alive for us.
\nHow much time each day are you spending writing\/being interviewed\/filming and does it sometimes become an unnecessary distraction from sailing?
\nPip Hare: Thank you Helen. It does take time and effort to share the race story and I have been trying to produce the most interesting content possible rather than the bare minimum so it can take me a few hours a day to set up, film and the edit a short video.
\nIt\u2019s a question of finding opportunities and maintaining a balance. I send content when I want to. All the skippers have a minimum quota of media we must supply under race rules but after that it is up to us.
\nMy performance within this race is very important to me, I set out to race as hard as I could with the boat that I had, so if I am having a tough day or I know I need to put my energy into racing not media then I will pare down what I do.
\nTelling the story is important for growth of the sport, it provides a great return for our sponsors, engages more fans and hopefully will inspire the competitors of the future. I take it seriously but I will not let it get in the way of giving my all on the race track.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tVend\u00e9e Globe 2020: Pip Hare on preparing for the world\u2019s toughest race<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIt would be easy to assume the toughest challenge of the Vend\u00e9e Globe Race is racing a 60ft IMOCA alone,\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\tVend\u00e9e Globe rollercoaster for Pip Hare as she makes mid-ocean rudder repairs<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Southern Ocean is renowned for its relentlessness. By the time they reach the final stages of the South Pacific,\u2026<\/p>\n
Q: From Mervyn Wright
\nIt\u2019s a phenomenal achievement for anyone. Do you think you\u2019d do it again or is it a once in a lifetime experience?
\nPip Hare: My goal has always been for two Vend\u00e9es. I think until I had sailed the race, experienced the Southern Ocean alone, understood all the problems that can be encountered on the way, then it would be difficult for me to put in the kind of performance I aspire to.
\n2020 was a question of just making it happen, forcing a campaign into existence and not being fussy about what I had. I just wanted to get out here, experience the race and show potential sponsors that I was worth backing.
\nMy performance in this race has been such a happy surprise. I never considered that with just 4500 miles to go I would be in the same stretch of water as the tail end foilers, let alone ahead of them in the Southern Ocean.
\nThis performance has validated my goal to be back in 2024 with a foiling boat and looking at the top ten.
\nPhoto by skipper Pip Hare
\nQ: From Stuart Rowe
\nGiven your experiences so far (both on and off the water), what\u2019s the most important lesson, you\u2019ll take forward into the 2024 race?
\nPip Hare: Preparation and time on the water are essential. In a way I think I benefited from being a one woman show in 2019. I sailed the boat everywhere myself. That gave me a lot of miles with this boat. I fixed it and maintained it myself and nurtured it through races, on minimal budget and always concerned about breakages and failure.
\nThis in-depth knowledge and feeling for the boat are what allowed me to both push hard and to tackle the breakages and problems I have had onboard.
\nI want to take this ethos forward to my next boat and I want to make sure I have enough time to sail it hard and get to know it in the same way.
\nQ: From Kate Oppenheim
\nWhat has surprised you most? When you\u2019ve finished the race, what will you miss the most?
\nPip Hare: Just how much I\u2019ve loved every minute of this race.
\nYes, there have been tough times, but the whole experience has been better than I ever dreamed it could be. I\u2019m still pinching myself that I\u2019m here, doing the Vendee Globe, let alone that I\u2019m on the homeward leg.
\nWhen I have finished I will miss the focus and the purpose and I will miss the ocean as my home.
\nQ: From Janine Farmer
\nWhat has been the biggest lesson?
\nPip Hare: I think there are a couple. First and foremost the need to be proactively diligent around all things. If something is not quite right, if you are a bit off the pace, if there is a funny sound, if the sky looks ominous, then you have to act.
\nThis is a tough race and the self discipline required for good performance is everything.
\nSecondly how long it takes to recover from a \u2018big\u2019 event. I tend to treat myself mentally and physically like a machine. I don\u2019t give myself much slack and just expect to plod on regardless.
\nThere was a definite energy debt to pay after I had changed my rudder. I was physically and emotionally drained and I did not realise how long it would take me to get back on form. Now I know I would play the whole ten days following my rudder change in a completely different way.
\nMedallia racing in the Vendee Globe on December 17, 2020. Photo: Pip Hare
\nQ: From Adrian Geary
\nNow you are deep into the race, what do you think about the foilers now, and in big weather?
\nPip Hare: It\u2019s been really interesting to watch the foilers in the south on this race. There is no doubt that the reason I got ahead of Cali, Stephane and Alan was because I was willing and able to push Medallia harder in the big breeze and indeed to go in search of more breeze as they had to back off.
\nAt the front of the fleet I know they have spent quite a bit of time backed off as well. But although there are marked non-foiling performances, it [is] foilers on the podium. I would like my next IMOCA to have foils.
\nQ: From Laura La Roche
\nWhat do you do to lift your spirits when it gets really tough onboard?
\nPip Hare: I talk to my friends and family back home and they always help me to look at the bigger picture \u2013 I might be having a tough time, but I\u2019m having a tough time on the Vend\u00e9e Globe race and there\u2019s nowhere I\u2019d rather be.
\nHearing news from home always brings a smile to my face. It\u2019s interesting, I rarely want to tell my friends how I am, I just love to hear their news. Without fail once a day someone has sent me a funny or irreverent message that has made me laugh out loud.
\nI have one couple of friends who have sent me a different memory from our very long friendship every day of the race.
\nMusic also is my tonic. It never fails to lift my mood.
\nQ: From Mike MaunderWhat\u2019s been your favourite meal whilst sailing the Vendee?
\nPip Hare: Apples. At the start I loaded up with as many fresh apples as I could and enjoyed them while they lasted.
\nThree months at sea with no stops means you don\u2019t get any fresh food. And tea \u2013 my race is definitely fuelled by tea.
\nYachting World would like to thank Pip for taking the time to answer our readers\u2019 questions\u00a0mid-race! We\u2019re rooting for you all the way home. Enjoy the last Atlantic miles!
\nFor more Vend\u00e9e Globe updates like this, read Pip\u2019s blog at:\u00a0piphare.com\/blog\u00a0or follow Pip on\u00a0Instagram\u00a0and\u00a0Facebook.<\/p>\n
The post Ask Pip Hare: Vendee skipper answers Yachting World reader questions appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pip Hare has been one of the standout stories from this years edition of the Vend\u00e9e Globe. Now, as she sails up the Atlantic, the British sailor takes some time to answer Yachting World reader questions. Direct from the middle … <\/p>\n