3/25/2021

Pip Hare Completes Vendée Globe Powered By OneSails

In February of this year, Pip Hare completed the 2020-21 Vendée Globe in 95 days and 11 hours to become the first British competitor to finish the solo, non-stop, round the world yacht race. Pip is the eighth woman to ever complete the race, which takes place every four years. Pip was one of two sailors in the race powered by a recyclable OneSails 4T FORTE™️ sail wardrobe; Finnish competitor Ari Huusela was the other. Since finishing the race, Pip and her team have reviewed her sails for any weaknesses. Pip commented, “They have been incredible, I have so little damage to my sails. I was really happy with the sail selection choices we made. Considering I only started designing the sail package with OneSails in August last year, and we had less than a month to try them out and get them sorted on the boat, I can’t believe how well it has gone and how happy I have been with the decisions we made. They have been one of the great successes from the campaign.” Pip added, “It’s really important to me to think about the environmental aspect of what we are doing and the impact on the world’s oceans. I was in an older boat, which has been around the world four times before this race, and that is testament to how these boats can be re-used again and again. To be working with a company that has a fully recyclable sail cloth is incredible and I am really proud to be using the OneSails 4T FORTE™️ fabric.” John Parker from the OneSails (GBR) East sail loft worked with Pip to develop the right combination of sails for her boat. John commented, “I sailed with Pip several times before the race to work out the nuances of the eight-sail inventory she carried. Our strategy was to deliver a sail wardrobe designed to make gains both upwind and downwind.” Ordinarily, competitors would race with two asymmetric spinnakers for the downwind legs of the race, but Pip competed with only one. John explained, “The biggest sail inventory decision was for Pip to carry a new ‘spare’ J2 (principle upwind headsail) to use after Cape Horn, so she had a competitive new jib to use for the beat back to the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne. To stay inside the eight-sail inventory limit, the inclusion of this additional J2 meant the small-area, heavy air asymmetric had to be left behind. To compensate for the lack of this small asymmetric, we included two ‘Code Zero type’ sails; a non-overlapping upwind sail that sheeted inside the shroud geometry and a second 50% larger, over-lapping sail for off-wind sailing.” John continued, “During the 2019 Fastnet, we collectively spotted the boat could be effectively sailed at deep wind angles. The A2 running asymmetric was therefore specifically designed to maximise the boat’s potential on this point of sail. In the Southern Ocean, Pip made extensive use of her A2, which enabled her to sail roughly parallel to the ice limit and at deeper wind angles compared to the foiling boats around her.” As well as being recyclable, the OneSails 4T FORTE fabric is well suited to ocean racing due to its composition. John explained, “The ‘raw ingredients’ of 4T FORTE are a refined version of polypropylene, which is inherently comfortable when flexed, resulting in minimal loss of strength. Other sail materials such as aramid (Kevlar) and carbon fibre are of a significantly more brittle nature and therefore weaken when repeatedly flexed.” Of Pip’s performance, John said, “Pip executed a brilliant campaign, particularly in the context of the boat’s age. She raced her socks off, especially during her time in the Southern Ocean when she punched well above her weight versus the more modern, faster foiling boats.” *Image credit: Richard Langdon / Pip Hare Ocean Racing