Update
PEACE AT LAST – Sam Goodchild So writing this three days from the start of the Vendée Globe! And can’t help but spend a few words appreciating the journey to get here. In 2004, as a 14-year-old, I was reading Seahorse Magazinewith
my dad admiring the Vendée Globe and discovering this race that seemed too incredible to be true. And too big a challenge to be pos- sible! But if the others could do it, then surely I could give it a go… In 2007 through the British Keelboat Academy I was invited to
do a transatlantic delivery on the Hugo Boss corporate boat – the ‘B’ boat – which was off on a world tour. Which was then followed up by crossing the Pacific with the same team. It was my first real contact with the offshore sailing world, where I met great people who could earn a living from my passion. I was ready to drop out of school there and then! In 2008 through people I met in the Alex Thomson Racing Team
I found myself as nipper for Mike Golding on Ecover 3 in the final lead-up to the Vendée Globe. Spending those three weeks in Les Sables d’Olonne and experiencing the famous channel as we motored out to the startline… the one-mile long channel that is crowded with hundreds of thousands of people on start day to wave everyone off. An experience that hit me pretty hard back then so I’m going to have to be solid on 10 November! I then embarked on a career of offshore sailing, starting with
deliveries on small boats and slowly building experience on Figaros, Class40s, Imocas, VOR65s, Ultim trimarans, Ocean Fiftys. Learning so much along the way thanks to sailing with some really experienced teams. But the ultimate goal of the Vendée Globe was never far from my thoughts; sometimes I got close and at other times I thought it would never happen. Even when I got the green light for this current project in 2022
it was hard to believe. And it’s only really turning up in Les Sables with my boat parked in the same spot as Ecover 3, 16 years ago, that it really started to hit me that we’ve made it! I’m proud and incredibly grateful to all the people who have helped me along the way; it’s impossible to name all of them but I really hope I have the opportunity to one day thank you all.
14 SEAHORSE
The three weeks in Les Sables d’Olonne Race Village has been
madness, with queues for hours as people wait patiently to come and see the boats on the dock. So you can imagine the relief when I could grab a week to get home to breathe a little better and spend some down time with the family. I returned with one week to go. We had one final sail where we
did a full systems check, which went reassuringly well. The rest of the week has been a mix of press and media commitments, a few last checks on the boat, and trying to keep well rested. Writing at 72 hours before the start I am pleasantly surprised that
the pressure and stress have so far remained manageable! And I’ve even managed to appreciate the occasion a bit more. That is primarily down to the reassurance that there is almost nothing that I would do differently in our preparation. I’ve had the incredible chance to prepare for the race in some great conditions with super-experienced people and a team that knows how things should be done. Everyone asks me about my ambitions… I have two goals: the
first is to complete the 2024 Vendée Globe! And the second one is to enjoy it! That’s where my energy and headspace are being invested and all the rest will be part of the adventure. Then the other common question is about my fears and worries.
The big one is the solitude, an area where I am really heading into unknown territory. The longest time I have sailed on my own to date is 12 days and my longest time at sea is 35 days with a full crew. Here we’re heading off for 70+ days. But discovering the unknown, pushing and exploring our own limits, is all part of the motivation. In any case at some point everyone has to set off for the first
time! I am already very fortunate to have had so many great expe- riences with some great boats and great people even before we head off on this next adventure. On the strength of that I’m confident that I am capable of achieving the goals I’ve set. Looking forward to sharing the stories in a few months’ time!
HOW, WHY, WHAT’S NEXT – Jack Griffin We know what happened – Emirates Team New Zealand cruised to their third and most impressive victory in the America’s Cup
INGRID ABERY
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