Medallia: Pip Hare’s Vendée Globe 2024 IMOCA 60

No one was more surprised than Pip Hare when the CEO of the software company, Medallia, stepped in to sponsor his Vendée Globe 2020 campaign, months before the start of the race.

She admits that she Google had searched “How to Go Bankrupt” just days before Leslie Stretch contacted her with her offer.

An avid single-handed sailor who owns a Beneteau 41.1 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Stretch said Hare’s record as a “fearless offshore sailor” meant sponsoring his campaign to race around the world in a vintage 1999 IMOCA 60. was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. , and “it was an easy choice to sponsor her again in 2024.”

Hare certainly shone in 2020-21. He was the first British skipper to finish, taking 19th place, and won legions of fans for his enthusiastic race reports, as well as the respect of seasoned Vendée sailors like Jean Le Cam.

The sponsorship for 2024 has meant a newer boat and the need for Hare to learn new skills.

The 2016 Verdier / VPLP foiling model was raced as Valley Office II by Louis Burton in 3rd place overall in the Vendée Globe 2020-21.

The sailboat won the 2016-17 event, piloted by Armel Le Cléac’h as Banque Populaire, and set the current course record of 74d 3h 35m.

Under a blue sky, the IMOCA 60 was officially named Medallion by Hare and Stretch at Butler’s Wharf in London – the same location as Alex Thomson’s new HUGO BOSS launched in 2019.

“It’s like waking up in someone else’s life,” said Hare, when asked about the impact of four years of Medallia sponsorship.

“We are always looking for other partners to join us so that we can really maximize our performance potential and that is still going on and it is still a huge part of my job. During the 2020 campaign, I literally carried it all on my back for a year and a half. It was the hardest job I have ever worked in my life.

“Having this boat from the start and having a team, and having the fact that I’m going to be doing the Medallia signed race takes one pressure off, but puts another. I now have the responsibility of leading a team, and people have expectations of me now; they’ve never done it before. It’s a new kind of pressure for me. I’m someone who likes to fly under the radar and I’m not under the radar anymore, ”she said.

All the lines went down below and then into the cockpit. Credit: Richard Langdon / Pip Hare Ocean Racing

Hare said the transition from a 22-year-old to a five-year-old and the foil had been “very good” despite his initial concerns about meeting the challenge.

During the training sessions, she has not yet pushed the yacht beyond 20 knots, which gives her time to learn Medal and its systems.

“At the start we started going out with enough crews to support me but in fact I got familiar with sailing. Medal very quickly, and physically this boat is less demanding to navigate. there are nuances [between the two boats] but in fact they are almost the same. I think when we really start to focus on high performance there will be some differences.

“But in terms of seamanship, the basics of sail changes, settings and maneuvers are the same. And in many ways it’s easier [Hare’s 2020 boat had no outside protection. She had to go to the mast every time to reef, and to tack her canting keel, she had to use a block and tackle taken to an electric winch]. So it was a lot less brutal than I expected, ”she explained.

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Hare said she had yet to experience foiling under “very heavy conditions”; MedalThe foils are used from 7 knots.

“We foil most of the time, but it’s not the dramatic kind of thing we think it is. The foils provide lift, they provide extra righting moments to allow the boat to be more powerful, but in terms of the characteristics and behavior of the boat it doesn’t get that much different until you get up. 18 to 20 knots of boat speed, and then it starts to change. ‘

The 2016 Verdier / VPLP model was run as Valley Office II by Louis Burton in 3rd place overall in the Vendée Globe 2020-21. Credit: Stéphane MAILLARD

Medallion currently has small foils, allowing Lièvre to train. These will be changed in 2023, with the potential to go further.

Hare said the team will consult with naval architects and monitor the foil’s development over the next few years before making a decision.

“It’s a really interesting question. 11th Hour Racing recently launched their new boat for The Ocean Race and the foils are huge. But is it appropriate for a solo sailor in the Vendée? This is going to be quite difficult to judge because all of our intermediate races are short races, and I’m sure we’ll see the [IMOCA 60s with the] big foils knock it down, but, in fact, is spending five weeks in the Southern Ocean with big foils a good idea?

“I don’t have enough information to make an informed decision on how big we could or should be with the foils. I think it’s gonna be a really interesting thing to watch. So for now, we have the luxury of being able to practice with these and let everyone do some testing on our behalf, ”Hare added.

The navigation station on Medallion. Credit: Richard Langdon / Pip Hare Ocean Racing

The Vend̩e Globe 2020-21 saw a real mix of hull shapes and foil concepts Рmuch wider than in previous editions of the race.

While Charlie Dalin is Apivia, with its massive foils, was the first boat to cross the line, Louis Burton on Valley Office II [now Hare’s Vendee 2024 IMOCA 60 Medallia] was the second, with just over four hours between the two skippers.

Hare said though Medallion will have three generations in the 2024 race, the IMOCA 60 will always be “competitive”.

The galley on Medal

“You have to be a little realistic because by 2024, the boat will have three generations. But, it happened first in 2016; he came third in 2020, and it was with Louis who had to stop halfway [he pulled in at Macquarie Island in the Southwestern Pacific to make repairs to the mast track and other repairs]. It is a solid boat. It’s a great platform for us to develop. I think it will always be a competitive boat. And we’ll have the opportunity to make it more competitive along the way, ”Hare explained.

She said preparation was the key to her success in 2020.

“I really felt that we had thought of everything for 2020, and I want to continue with this level of preparation. For me, on the performance side, I think there is a lot of work to be done with different coaches, especially with a foiling boat It’s a lot more technical and I can’t wait to spend more time learning that.

The control panel for Medal‘s foils. Credit: Richard Langdon / Pip Hare Ocean Racing

Hare said she made “a few mistakes” in 2020, especially when sailing back in the Atlantic, and that she didn’t factor in big events, like the rudder change. [she had a cracked port rudder stock, which she replaced], would affect her mentally, but “now I saw it”, she said, “and I will definitely give myself more time to recover in the next race”.

In 2020, Hare knew that winning was not an option on an old boat. Has that now changed?

MedalThe cockpit has a retractable roof, giving Pip Hare more protection from the elements. Credit: Richard Langdon / Pip Hare Ocean Racing

“I don’t think you go into a race without wanting to get the best possible result, and I don’t like answering that question. I want to be the best I can be. And if it’s a win then it’s a win, and if it’s a 5th or a 7th, then that’s what it is but, I’m definitely not going to let go.

Hare has always said it was a two-year campaign, with the 2024 race as its target, but she doesn’t rule out a possible third.

Electronics on Medal. Credit: Richard Langdon / Pip Hare Ocean Racing

“I really wouldn’t say no. It’s the most awesome sport. I fought for 30 years to get this far and I’m not going to just say “Yeah, it’s done!” And hang up my boots.

“I sometimes question my age; I’m going to be 50 when I start in 2024, but I’m actually super fit. I’m confident, and I think I got what I need now [to do the Vendee] and I don’t think I would have had this when I was 25 or 30. If I finish the next one and there’s another one in me then, damn it, I will! ‘ Hare added.