Q&A Post Dismast Vendée Globe 2024
After the unexpected dismasting, Pip took to social media asked her followers to submit questions, and now she’s sharing her thoughts and insights in this Q&A. Here’s a chance to get an inside look at her experience and the challenges she faced.
Will Medallia be re-masted in Melbourne and sailed home?
My preferred option would be to ship a mast to Melbourne and sail home, but timelines, costs and logistics, this wont be a feasible option with wanting to race again in 2025. So likely we will ship home and re-mast there.
How do you support your mental health when you have to pull out of a race?
The practical element of the dismasting, building a jury rig and getting to shore are the easy parts to deal with. Dealing with the loss, the guilt, the disappointment of dismasting half way round the world is a lot harder and it’s a process. I am managing it differently every day and I am acknowledging that I am going to be feeling differently about it most days, but having been out here I have processed a lot of it and I am starting to feel passion and drive for racing in the future again, but this will always be a really painful chapter in my story.
Before you set off, do you come up with a plan of how to set up a jury rig if needed?
Yes definitely, not a formal plan, but I have always ideas of what I would use and how I would do it if I was to make a jury rig and it’s normally down to the outriggers (which I have used) or the boom. One of the benefits for me was that Sam Goodchild lost his rig in the New York Vendée in June this year and I talked to him a lot when he made his jury rig. He sent me pictures, so he almost gave me a blueprint of what to do which was super helpful.
Do you have enough supplies on board?
Yes I really do, I have half a world of food left! I have about 4-5 months of food on board and water makers.
Why doesn’t anyone come and pick you up?
Because I don’t need to be picked up. This boat wouldn’t be easy to tow in big seas, with my jury rig I am making the best speed possible towards Australia, I am perfectly safe and I have everything I need, so I definitely don’t need to be rescued.
Why do you think your mast came down?
I don’t know, we may never know, some failure somewhere. It could have been failure of components or the mast itself, I don’t think we will ever know what failed.
Will you race again in 2028 VG?
Yes, my intention is to be on the start line of the 2028 Vendée Globe race.
Do you think you will write a second book?
I am not sure, maybe I will one day, but you can purchase my book ‘In my Element’ on Amazon here
Does your autopilot work with the jury rig?
Yes it works really well - it is on heading mode!
Pip on board Medallia with her jury rig, December 2024.
Why don’t you just use your engine to get back to Melbourne?
My engine would only be able to motor the boat at 3-4 knots with a good sea state. The engine is designed to manoeuvrer the boat in a marina in flat water not for motoring through open ocean. As the boat is so light, the waves stop it dead and it doesn’t carry momentum, so I am much better sailing with the jury rig it, is a much more efficient way.
What will happen once you arrive in Melbourne, will you come back to Europe?
I will stay in Melbourne with the boat until I know what is happening. At the moment we are looking at options of shipping the boat back to Europe.
Will your team fly out to meet you in Australia?
No, not yet - I am being met by some incredible volunteers of the Ocean Racing club Victoria, who contacted us and have offered their support and are organising everything for my arrival and I could not be more grateful.
How much of the mast did you salvage?
The only part of the mast left was the stump, about a meter, slightly less, the rest had already sunk by the time I was liberating it and it was grinding against the hull and in danger of damaging the hull and making my situation worse, so I wasn’t able to salvage it.
Pip on board Medallia with her jury rig, December 2024.