From the editor
Learning that Pip Hare had secured title sponsorship to take her to the 2024 Vendée Globe, and bought a race-winning foiling IMOCA, was one of the best pieces of news I’d heard in a long time. Pip’s ascendancy from Vendée hopeful to established campaigner has been inspiring to witness.
But when I chatted to Pip about how she’ll be running her new programme, she said something very surprising. One reason Pip will continue working with a small team is because she likes to be hands-on; so far, so understandable. But another reason is because Pip has found that, if she is sailing with a larger team of men, they can take over.
How extraordinary that should still be a consideration for a female skipper who has raced around the world solo?
Pip realised that even a simple helpful gesture from a male crew – jumping on the grinder handles to hoist a sail more quickly, fixing something because they already know how to do it... all slightly erode the chances for her to train or learn her new boat.
Enormous efforts have been made to promote equality in competitive sailing – the latest include the Leyton Multi 50 and Sail GP (page 15) working to bring female racing talent into multihull racing. But as Pip’s concerns show, there’s a long way to go. Being on the boat is not enough: women sailors need to be given the chance to run the boat.