Pip Hare brings yacht home to Poole after year-long recovery effort

Image courtesy of Pip Hare

　　Just twelve months after her Vendée Globe dream was shattered in the remote wilds between Australia and Antarctica, Pip Hare is finally sailing back into her home port of Poole. The internationally acclaimed British skipper, who famously jury-rigged a makeshift mast and navigated 800 miles to safety, returns not only with her boat restored but with her determination firmly intact.

　　On 15 December 2024, internationally acclaimed British yacht skipper Pip Hare, had her dreams of finishing a world record breaking second solo circumnavigation crushed. Half way between Australia and Antartica, her 30m mast on her high performance 60ft yacht, broke in to three pieces without warning.

　　Homecoming beset by multiple hurdles

　　Tomorrow morning Hare will bring her boat back, under sail, to her home port of Poole.

　　“It turns out rescuing myself after the dismasting was the easiest part of getting the boat back home,” she says. “Since I arrived on the shore in Melbourne I have had multiple hurdles to overcome to get the boat back to Europe without a mast, and then fit my replacement mast so I could bring it home to Poole.

　　“It feels incredible to finally be bringing the boat back to Poole under my own steam.”

　　Hare is the skipper and CEO of Pip Hare Ocean Racing. Her vision to build a professional team from Poole started in 2019, when she seed-funded her own campaign with a £25k bank loan and a crowd fund.

　　Self-rescue watched by tens of thousands

　　Hare rescued herself by building a make shift mast from the wreckage and sailing her stricken race yacht 800 miles North to Melbourne. Tens of Thousands of fans, watched the daily Vendée Globe online updates, as Hare documented her recovery and worked to get herself safely to the shore.

Image courtesy of Pip Hare

　　Rebuilding a British ocean racing team

　　“Britain is the home of ocean racing, all the great races were founded in Britain and we have always had a culture of performance, innovative design, quality boatbuilding and of course adventure. It seems right to me that we should have international ocean racing teams based in the UK and that there was enough skill and talent on our shores to support me as an athlete. I am keen to continue our success and to help other teams thrive in Britain too.

　　”Bringing the boat back to the UK marks a big step in getting the team back on the water, we are having good and active conversations with potential sponsors and I fully intend to be racing competitively again by the middle of 2026.”

　　Ocean racing a powerful platform for future sponsors

　　The sport of ocean racing mirrors Formula One motor racing in its use of design, technology, and all aspects of human performance, she says.

　　“We race all over the world, there are opportunities for the public to see our hi tech machines up close as our ‘pit lanes’ are open to all before races.

　　“Crowds numbering hundreds of thousands attend race starts, with millions of fans visiting race villages before events.

　　“Our sporting team represents great values of endeavour and human performance, both in our athletic performance on the water and in the design and development of our vessels. We intend to continue building a strong culture of ocean racing performance in the UK and offer strong and powerful opportunity for any potential sponsors.

　　“For now it feels good to come home, to get our boat back where it belongs in time for Christmas.”

　　As her yacht crosses the threshold of Poole Harbour once again, Hare’s homecoming marks far more than the end of a long logistical battle. It signals a fresh beginning — one that blends British ocean racing heritage with her trademark grit and ambition. With new partnerships on the horizon and competitive racing targeted for 2026, her story of resilience continues.