Member Article

Pip Hare makes landfall as first Brit over the line in the Vendée Globe

*British sailor makes history as the 8th woman to ever complete the Vendee Globe race, after 3 months, 4 days on board her boat Medallia *

Medallia, the global leader in experience management and title sponsor of British sailor Pip Hare’s Vendée Globe campaign, has today announced Hare’s successful completion of the 2020/21 race. The skipper is the first Brit and second woman over the line in Les Sables D’Olonne, France, arriving in 19th place overall with a time of 95 days 11 hours and 37 minutes.

In a race known as the Everest of the seas, where in this year alone almost a third of competitors have been forced to retire before finishing, Pip has become just the eighth woman to have ever completed the Vendée Globe. Her race was not without its own share of challenges. Pip had to climb the mast twice, battle through unforgiving weather in the Southern Ocean, suffer an allergic reaction to a sting from a man-o-war jellyfish, and even change her own rudder; all while sailing a 60ft IMOCA class boat completely solo 24,000 miles around the world.

As title sponsor, Medallia has been with Pip at every step of the race, aiding her journey through the use of its LivingLens solution. The technology was used to analyse Pip’s video footage throughout the race, evaluating the sailor’s facial expressions, choice of words, and tone of voice to more accurately determine the status of her mental wellbeing. The insight gained from this analysis has been key to her team’s understanding of her state of mind and how and when to provide her with assistance during a sustained and intense period of isolation.

“Being so isolated is a notoriously challenging but often overlooked component of this race,” said Pip Hare, skipper of Medallia. “At some points of the race I was closer to people on the International Space Station than anyone on land, but Medallia’s technology really helped my team to address the inevitable psychological effects of this aspect of the race. When I was feeling tired or down or just generally overwhelmed, my team knew exactly what I was going through and could make sure that I at least never felt alone. That’s the beauty of the technology - capturing feedback and understanding the why behind the emotions.”

“A priority for us from the outset was to be aware of how Pip was doing day-by-day so we could tweak our support strategy,” said Lou Adams, Pip’s Campaign Manager and part of her onshore team. “A fundamental part of this support has been monitoring Pip’s mental health and wellbeing, even as much of what she was going through was being mirrored here on dry land. Medallia’s LivingLens technology was a crucial part of how we did that as a team.”

Using its LivingLens technology, Medallia also mapped Pip’s race in a new and unique way. Its tracker detailed a timeline of Pip’s videos during her journey including full LivingLens analytics alongside each one, meaning her fans were able to gain discerning insights into Pip’s emotions at key moments throughout her race. From experiencing her highest highs to undergoing her hardest trials, the videos tell the story of Pip’s race from a rare psychological angle and demonstrate how technology can provide a dynamic insight into the real mental endurance this sporting event requires from its participants. To view the now-complete LivingLens-integrated tracker, including all videos and analyses of Pip, please visit the Medallia website.

“What Pip has achieved is incredible. I am in awe of the skill, strength and determination that she has shown us on this solo circumnavigation,” said Leslie Stretch, CEO of Medallia. “It has been wonderful to play a small part in Pip’s - and her yacht Medallia’s - journey. We were also excited to use our technology aboard Medallia to add to her overall race experience. Pip’s story documenting the highs and lows of one sailor and her boat has resonated with fans globally and inspired an entire generation of sailors and non-sailors alike to pursue their dreams.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Medallia .