The world’s toughest sailing race: Meet the 3 British skippers who took part in the 10th Vendée Globe

On 10 November 2024, the department of Vendée on the French Atlantic coast witnessed the start of the 10th Vendée Globe, departing from Les Sables-d’Olonne. Three British skippers made it through the qualifying stages to win a place in the race: Pip Hare (Medallia), only the 8th woman in the world to previously complete it; Samantha Davies (Initiatives Coeur), who uses every race to raise funds for children with heart defects; and Sam Goodchild (Vulnerable), taking part in his first Vendée Globe.

Fleet at start of the Vendée Globe in Les Sables-d’Olonne, France, on 6 November 2016 – Photo Vincent Curutchet / DPPI

Pip Hare started sailing competitively late in life with the Mini-Transat in 2011. At the helm of the oldest boat of the fleet, she completed her first Vendée Globe in 2020-21, having met her objectives: to finish, to tell the best story and to withstand all the trials of the race.
Follow Pip here.

Samantha Davies was born into a family of sailors and spent her childhood on the water. She has five circumnavigations and numerous transatlantic crossings under her belt, making her one of the most experienced skippers, racing with a new boat built in 2022.
Follow Samantha here.

For Sam Goodchild, the word ‘Vendée’ has resonated strongly in his adventurous mind since his earliest childhood and the stories told by his father. At the start of 2023 he joined the experienced TR Racing team alongside Thomas Ruyant – and the Vendée Globe represented his greatest challenge yet.
Follow Sam here.

Taking place every four years and nicknamed the ‘Everest of the Seas’, the Vendée Globe departs from and returns to the port of Les Sables-d’Olonne, one of the best-known seaside resorts on the French Atlantic coast and ranked as one of the ‘Most Beautiful Bays in the World’.

A total of 40 skippers set off alone to circumnavigate the globe as quickly as possible, over a course of around 24,000 miles. A massive new record was set in January 2025 by French skipper Charlie Dalin, who crossed the finish line after 64 days and 19 hours at sea.

For each Vendée Globe, the Start Village opens in mid-October and remains open until the race departure. Visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of activities and admire the racing boats up close before the crowds gather on the day of the start.

Vendée is a year-round tourist destination easily accessible from the UK by air, rail and road. Itoffers a wide range of experiences from watersports to cycling, island life to inland countryside, sumptuous seafood to world-class wine, and natural wonders like the Marais Poitevin to award-winning historical theme park, Puy du Fou.