The Vendée Globe: Navigating the Everest of the Seas with Helly Hansen

The race attracts a mix of seasoned sailors, ambitious first-time skippers, and multiple French participants. This year, Helly Hansen is proud to support seven ambassadors, including Pip Hare, who made history as the eighth woman to complete the Vendée Globe. Her journey demonstrates incredible fortitude, skilled navigation, and the essence of what it takes to compete in such a demanding environment and how to face your fears.

Reflecting on her solo sailing career, Hare shares how her relationship with fear has evolved. "Early on, I hid my fear," she admits, "but as my career has developed, I've seen it as a potent tool. The right amount of fear shows that I understand the risks I’m taking and positions me to manage them effectively. It also reminds me that I’m pushing forward, retaining my competitive edge, and not just settling for what I know but forging into the unknown to keep improving and learning." Indeed, it is an essential skill for sailing solo around the world.

Helly Hansen’s involvement with the Vendée Globe is a natural extension of our commitment to innovation in sailing gear. Our support goes beyond providing equipment; we develop tailored gear that empowers skippers to embrace and overcome the physical challenges of the race, the mental demands of prolonged isolation, and extreme weather conditions, enhancing each sailor's readiness and response capabilities to ensure they are prepared for whatever the sea may throw their way.

This year, our ambassadors include:

Our ambassadors' stories exemplify the spirit of the Vendée Globe. Frenchman Maxime Sorel climbed Mount Everest last year, an example of the relentless perseverance he brings to the race. Given that the Vendée Globe is commonly known as the Everest of the Seas, there is certainly a parallel between these challenges. "The challenge is the motivation to face my fears and test my limits," says Maxime.

Solo sailing in the Vendée Globe is characterized by relentless endurance and strategic acumen. Skippers balance severe sleep deprivation with the constant demand for vigilance. The typical routine involves sleeping in 20-minute intervals, a taxing regimen that continues over the approximately three-month-long race period. Skippers must also be adept at weather forecasting, sail management, and continuously adjusting their strategies to the unpredictable whims of the ocean. As Giancarlo Pedote, winner of the 2015 Transat Jacques Vabre in Ocean Fifty, aptly put it, "While racing, the biggest challenge is that things never go as you imagine, and therefore, we must be prepared to react to a whole range of issues that may arise." 

The journey to becoming a Vendée Globe skipper is filled with challenges. Prospective participants must log thousands of nautical miles of solo ocean racing and demonstrate their ability to manage their vessels under unforgiving conditions. Tough qualifying races (either the Transat CIC or NY Vendée) ensure that only the most skilled, determined, and experienced sailors make it to the start line. Every skipper who aims to participate in this edition must have been at a Transat departure in 2024.

Behind the scenes, each skipper spends years honing their sailing techniques, building a deep understanding of their boats, and assembling a support team capable of preparing them for this ultimate sailing challenge. This preparation is as much about mental readiness as physical and technical prowess. As ambassador Pip Hare reflects, "Everything about offshore sailing is challenging – I’ll never know everything, and there’s always so much to learn, but that’s what I love about the sport and being human. On a race like the Vendée Globe, I find the balance between pushing hard and preserving your boat one of the most challenging aspects of being a skipper." Hare's insights underscore the relentless drive for improvement and the delicate balance between competitive spirit and caution that every skipper must maintain.

The 60-foot IMOCA boats used in the race are marvels of marine engineering, equipped with advanced hydrofoils and fiber optic sensors. They can travel up to 35 knots (65 km/h) and have mast heights of up to 95 feet. When traveling at over 18 knots (33 km/h), these yachts have retractable foils that lift the hull out of the water, allowing them to “glide” above it. These vessels are designed to withstand the world's most formidable oceanic conditions, enabling skippers to sail at thrilling speeds while maintaining resilience and maneuverability. 

But as skipper Giancarlo Pedote knows, mastering such a powerful vessel requires constant vigilance. "The biggest challenge during the Vendée Globe is always to stay focused, always alert, always vigilant to, for example, any small noise that may come from the boat and always be ready to react to keep the craft in perfect sailing condition," Pedote explains. This level of attentiveness is crucial to maintaining speed and ensuring the boat’s survival in the harshest conditions.

The 2024 edition of the Vendée Globe, starting in November from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, will surely be another showcase of exceptional solo sailing and technological advancements. This race tests the endurance and skill of each sailor and highlights the critical role of sponsors, including Helly Hansen, in supporting their journeys. As sailors from around the globe gear up for this ultimate test, the Vendée Globe continues to stand as a symbol of innovation and extreme human endeavor in the world of sailing.