Back to the shed, and already looking ahead
© Maud Helfgott - polaRYSE / 11th Hour Racing
After an intense Vendée Arctique-Les Sables d'Olonne race all the way up to the Arctic Circle and back, it's time to give our IMOCA 11th Hour Racing a little love! She’s heading back into the shed at our team base in La Base, Lorient, France for a three week summer refit.
I finished fifth out of nine competitors after eight days of racing, a 3,272 nautical mile [3,765 mile | 6,059 km] route covered at an average of 15.4 knots [17.2 mph | 28.5 kmh].
When you're sailing at this level, on what are essentially flying machines, the refit isn't just a formality, it's what keeps everything running at 100% when it matters most. I've already put a lot of miles under the keel this year, and there's a lot more to come and so we have to make sure that every part of the boat is in top condition.
© Maud Helfgott - polaRYSE / 11th Hour Racing
Before the boat had even returned to Lorient the team were preparing for a 90 degree test - to ensure that she can self-right in the event of a serious knock-down - and the technical shore team are all ready across their various departments for a few weeks of hard work. From rigging to electronics to composites, every department be all over the boat ensuring that she is ready for the summer’s big race, The Ocean Race Atlantic. This refit is a bit like a Formula 1 pit-stop, but lasts three weeks, rather than 6 seconds!
At the end of July, we head to the US for a sailing tour between Boston, Newport and New York with our title sponsor 11th Hour Racing (more details coming very soon …). Then on September 1st, we take the start of The Ocean Race Atlantic with a fully mixed crew, racing from New York back to Lorient. And after that? The Route du Rhum. Solo, from Saint-Malo to Guadeloupe, 3,500 nautical miles across the Atlantic. One of the most iconic races in offshore sailing, and one of the biggest milestones of my whole 2028 Vendée Globe campaign.
Here's a fun fact to put it all in perspective: by the end of the year, we'll have sailed approximately 19,000 nautical miles [21,864miles | 35,188km], including 12,000nm [13,809 miles | 22,000km] racing. A round-the-world tour is 24,000 nautical miles so not far off a full circumnavigation!
I feel incredibly lucky to have these really talented people around me, particularly as every single one of them makes a huge difference to my performance on the water. It’s a real privilege to work with them.