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In My Element: Life lessons from the world's toughest solo ocean race
SHORTLISTED FOR THE MARITIME FOUNDATION AWARD FOR BEST BOOK
'An entertaining and compelling page turner that will stay with you.' Pete Goss
The boat picks up another wave and surfs again, faster this time, deafening. My eyes are streaming, sore from the icy wind that throws spray in my face. And over the top of it all I can hear my own laughter. I feel powerful, strong. I am a thousand miles from land in one of the world's most dangerous environments. Alone and free.
The Vendée Globe Race is one of the world's toughest sporting a single-handed, non-stop lap of the planet, with no assistance. The route takes competitors around the fringes of Antarctica, tackling terrifying conditions in the Southern Ocean before rounding Cape Horn. In My Element is the gripping and uncompromising story of Pip's incredible journey, but it's about so much more than sailing.
A thousand miles from land and surviving on only 30 minutes of sleep at a time, with both skipper and vessel relentlessly pushed to the brink of failure, Pip tells it straight, acknowledging that success never comes without mistakes and mishaps and these challenges do not mean defeat; they are opportunities to learn and grow. This, her first book, is both a gripping record of one of her toughest races ever and an inspiring account of the mental and physical strategies that have allowed her to discover, as a middle-aged woman, a life that allows her to live 'in flow' and achieve success.
From embracing fear to managing anxiety, enduring the daily grind whilst appreciating the pure magic, pacing yourself and rising to the occasion, Pip's journey teaches the importance of seizing every moment and truly living in your element.
'An entertaining and compelling page turner that will stay with you.' Pete Goss
The boat picks up another wave and surfs again, faster this time, deafening. My eyes are streaming, sore from the icy wind that throws spray in my face. And over the top of it all I can hear my own laughter. I feel powerful, strong. I am a thousand miles from land in one of the world's most dangerous environments. Alone and free.
The Vendée Globe Race is one of the world's toughest sporting a single-handed, non-stop lap of the planet, with no assistance. The route takes competitors around the fringes of Antarctica, tackling terrifying conditions in the Southern Ocean before rounding Cape Horn. In My Element is the gripping and uncompromising story of Pip's incredible journey, but it's about so much more than sailing.
A thousand miles from land and surviving on only 30 minutes of sleep at a time, with both skipper and vessel relentlessly pushed to the brink of failure, Pip tells it straight, acknowledging that success never comes without mistakes and mishaps and these challenges do not mean defeat; they are opportunities to learn and grow. This, her first book, is both a gripping record of one of her toughest races ever and an inspiring account of the mental and physical strategies that have allowed her to discover, as a middle-aged woman, a life that allows her to live 'in flow' and achieve success.
From embracing fear to managing anxiety, enduring the daily grind whilst appreciating the pure magic, pacing yourself and rising to the occasion, Pip's journey teaches the importance of seizing every moment and truly living in your element.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 10, 2024
29 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 7, 2024
Compelling from start to finish. Pip is such an honest writer, you really feel that you completed the journey with her, warts and all!!! I can't wait to follow her on this year's Vendée Globe. Such an inspiration. We should be shouting her name from the rooftops. Go Pip
December 7, 2024
J’ai mis 4 étoiles car Pip Hare.
C’est tres tres technique sur les bateaux. Je n’ai pas tout compris.
C’est tres tres technique sur les bateaux. Je n’ai pas tout compris.
March 1, 2026
I’m an armchair sailor who dreams of being a real round the world sailor, so I’ve had some sailing lessons, done some online courses and read a few nautical books. In 2022 I read Dee Caffari’s Against the Flow. One of the amazing things about Dee is that she went from novice sailor to the first woman to sail solo the “wrong way” (i.e. against the prevailing winds) around the world in just six years. During that time she had already sailed the “right way” around the world skippering a 72-foot steel yacht with an amateur crew. Against the Flow is a brilliant book and I thought it was about time I read another book by an inspirational sailor who happens to be a woman. Pip Hare’s route into world class yacht racing is different from Dee Caffari’s but the two women have much in common. This includes a determination to excel in a sport that has been dominated by men. I’d also add perseverance, courage and resilience. Oh, and endurance. How else can you survive for months on the high seas with limited diet and little sleep?
This book focuses on Pip’s participation in the 2020 Vendee Globe single-handed race around the world. This race is confined to a specific type of boat and has strict rules about what kind of support sailors can receive from their onshore teams. Pip explains how she managed to get the use of a boat that was built for the 2000 edition of the race, so it’s now a museum piece compared to the 2020 boats. She also has a battle to get sponsorship to refit the boat and to assemble a support team, which is something all these racing sailors need to keep them going. The preparations for the race take place against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic and by the time the race starts in November 2020 much of the world is in lock-down. Completing the preparations is a feat in itself as Pip has to take part in a trans-Atlantic race just to qualify for the Vendee Globe.
One thing that strikes me is that although these racing yachts are high-tech, with carbon hulls, autopilots and snazzy navigational software, sailing them is still tremendously physical. To keep up with the leading players – and Pip is fiercely competitive – she has to change sails frequently to make the most of every puff of wind. This involves dragging sails weighing more than her body weight around a heaving deck and hoisting them up and down a hundred-foot mast. She has to climb that mast to fix an antenna and gets her leg trapped between the mast and the sail. Severe bruising is the norm as she is flung around the boat by wind and wave. A sleep of more than twenty minutes is a luxury and she spends a large chunk of the three-month race soaking wet. You might wonder why she spends so little time with her hand on the tiller but as she explains, every day she has a list of tasks that must be done, either to preserve her position in the race or to ensure that the boat stays afloat. The more tech on these boats, the more there is to go wrong, and one of her team remarks that the Vendee Globe is a continuous repairs and maintenance project as well as a round the world yacht race.
During the race Pip has several mishaps and is candid enough to tell us in detail about her fear, despair, tears and physical discomfort and pain. Mishaps include a rudder breaking, sails tearing and – perhaps worst of all – being stung by jellyfish. This last happens on the way north from Cape Horn, just when she thought she was through the worst of it. She has an allergic reaction to being stung and is ill enough to consider giving up. Then, as she is recovering from that she is hit by some of the worst storms of the race. She expected the Southern Ocean to be awful but the Bay of Biscay has its moments and she finishes the race with a broken keel.
Another similarity between Pip and Dee Caffari is that having completed a stupendous feat, they both feel a sense of anti-climax and start looking for the next challenge. In Dee’s case it was to find a sponsor so she could take part in an earlier edition of the Vendee Global race. In Pip’s case, she signs new sponsorship deals and gets a much newer boat so she can take part in the 2024 Vendee Globe. On that note, the author tells us a great deal about her approach to sailing, which in many ways is like project management in the middle of horrendous dangers, and how she applies the same principles to developing a business to support her racing career and to provide opportunities for young sailors.
One final point, Pip mentions her parents and an older sister. She also has a large circle of friends and supporters, to whom she pays tribute in the acknowledgements. Beyond that, she says virtually nothing about her personal life. And there’s no reason why we need to know. We often see women who take part in sports like sailing or mountaineering being castigated for selfishness; the assumption being that there must be a partner or children at home who need a meal cooked or help with homework. In this book we see Pip as a courageous, competent and competitive woman achieving greatness at the tender age of 47.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sailing or who enjoys reading about what human beings are capable of. In My Element cries out for a prequel and a sequel. We need to know more about Pip’s sailing journey before the 2020 Vendee Globe and how she got on in the 2024 edition of the race.
This book focuses on Pip’s participation in the 2020 Vendee Globe single-handed race around the world. This race is confined to a specific type of boat and has strict rules about what kind of support sailors can receive from their onshore teams. Pip explains how she managed to get the use of a boat that was built for the 2000 edition of the race, so it’s now a museum piece compared to the 2020 boats. She also has a battle to get sponsorship to refit the boat and to assemble a support team, which is something all these racing sailors need to keep them going. The preparations for the race take place against the backdrop of the Covid pandemic and by the time the race starts in November 2020 much of the world is in lock-down. Completing the preparations is a feat in itself as Pip has to take part in a trans-Atlantic race just to qualify for the Vendee Globe.
One thing that strikes me is that although these racing yachts are high-tech, with carbon hulls, autopilots and snazzy navigational software, sailing them is still tremendously physical. To keep up with the leading players – and Pip is fiercely competitive – she has to change sails frequently to make the most of every puff of wind. This involves dragging sails weighing more than her body weight around a heaving deck and hoisting them up and down a hundred-foot mast. She has to climb that mast to fix an antenna and gets her leg trapped between the mast and the sail. Severe bruising is the norm as she is flung around the boat by wind and wave. A sleep of more than twenty minutes is a luxury and she spends a large chunk of the three-month race soaking wet. You might wonder why she spends so little time with her hand on the tiller but as she explains, every day she has a list of tasks that must be done, either to preserve her position in the race or to ensure that the boat stays afloat. The more tech on these boats, the more there is to go wrong, and one of her team remarks that the Vendee Globe is a continuous repairs and maintenance project as well as a round the world yacht race.
During the race Pip has several mishaps and is candid enough to tell us in detail about her fear, despair, tears and physical discomfort and pain. Mishaps include a rudder breaking, sails tearing and – perhaps worst of all – being stung by jellyfish. This last happens on the way north from Cape Horn, just when she thought she was through the worst of it. She has an allergic reaction to being stung and is ill enough to consider giving up. Then, as she is recovering from that she is hit by some of the worst storms of the race. She expected the Southern Ocean to be awful but the Bay of Biscay has its moments and she finishes the race with a broken keel.
Another similarity between Pip and Dee Caffari is that having completed a stupendous feat, they both feel a sense of anti-climax and start looking for the next challenge. In Dee’s case it was to find a sponsor so she could take part in an earlier edition of the Vendee Global race. In Pip’s case, she signs new sponsorship deals and gets a much newer boat so she can take part in the 2024 Vendee Globe. On that note, the author tells us a great deal about her approach to sailing, which in many ways is like project management in the middle of horrendous dangers, and how she applies the same principles to developing a business to support her racing career and to provide opportunities for young sailors.
One final point, Pip mentions her parents and an older sister. She also has a large circle of friends and supporters, to whom she pays tribute in the acknowledgements. Beyond that, she says virtually nothing about her personal life. And there’s no reason why we need to know. We often see women who take part in sports like sailing or mountaineering being castigated for selfishness; the assumption being that there must be a partner or children at home who need a meal cooked or help with homework. In this book we see Pip as a courageous, competent and competitive woman achieving greatness at the tender age of 47.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sailing or who enjoys reading about what human beings are capable of. In My Element cries out for a prequel and a sequel. We need to know more about Pip’s sailing journey before the 2020 Vendee Globe and how she got on in the 2024 edition of the race.
January 4, 2025
Wow,just wow!
February 2, 2025
Amazing book by Pip! Really dives deep into the Vendée globe race, how Pip got there and got through. I loved hearing more detail about the day to day challenges and resilience during the race itself - much of which we didn’t get to hear during the 2020 race itself. It was brilliant and inspiring! Thanks Pip!
July 4, 2025
she’s so cool, i want to be like her when i’m older
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews