Sailing close to Cape Horn after this terrible day was just the tonic I needed. It made me smile despite my exhaustion and disappointment, it reminded me of just what I have achieved so far in this race and the possibilities of everything that has to come.

Once I was committed to doing it there was nothing that was going to get in my way. There were some tough moments and I had to plead with my boat and the ocean a couple of times but when that new rudder stock finally came shooting up through the deck level bearing, the out-loud whooping that came from me could easily have been heard for miles around...if anyone had been there to hear it.

I have no choice but to change the port rudder. If I continue sailing hard the stock will fail under load in a matter of hours. Naturally I am completely devastated about this failure and what it means to my race but the only thing to do right now is to put the racing on hold and focus on solving this problem to keep both me and Medallia safe.

I said these last days in the Southern Ocean would be challenging and so far the experience has been incredibly intense.

Pip’s shore team since the start now includes technical director, Joff, communications director, Isla, campaign manager, Lou and social media manager, Hayley. In this latest blog they share what they’ve learned so far from working on the 2020 Vendee Globe campaign.

I am miserable at the thought of all of those miles that I am losing against everyone on the course. I know this is the right decision for this moment but it hurts like hell.