POOLE yachtswoman Pip Hare says she has “no regrets” after completing the Vendée Globe solo non-stop round the world race.

Having spent 95 days, 11 hours, 37 mins and 30 seconds racing across the seas, the 47-year-old skipper celebrated crossing the start-finish line at Les Sables-d'Olonne at 12.57am on Friday, February 12.

When asked how it felt to come 19th in the Vendée Globe race, Pip said it was “absolutely incredible”.

Pip is now only the eighth woman in history to complete the course, having initially set out to equal or better fellow female sailor and idol Ellen MacArthur’s time set when she came second in the Vendée Globe race in 2000, which she fell short of by a day and a half.

Speaking in a press conference held at 11am this morning, Pip said: “I felt it was really important to have a sporting objective and needing to be relative to the age of the boat that I was racing.

“So, being a British female skipper, the obvious place to look was the year 2000 race and that was when Ellen MacArthur came second and she completed the race in 94 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes and 40 seconds, and so that was my benchmark.”

Asked whether she considers she has achieved that sporting goal, Pip said: “Obviously I didn’t however I felt that it was attainable.

“At times during the race, I was far ahead of it and level-pegging most of the time and I think, right up until the last five days, it was within my reach to beat it.

“I can see where I went wrong, I see where I could have made up time and so yeah, I’m pretty pleased with how well I did relative to that.”

Pip endured more than her fair share of obstacles to overcome, having suffered a failed wind wand, a broken rudder and, as recently as this week, a damaged pulpit.

When asked about whether she had any misgivings about the build-up to the race, Pip said that she had “no regrets”.

“I started with nothing in January 2019, like really nothing. I started with a personal loan from the bank, and I built this campaign up out of nothing,” she added.

“And to be sitting here now, coming in 19th, having raced the way that I did, I can’t have any regrets. I think I did that absolute best with what I had in the timeframe that I had.”

What set Pip apart from other races in the Vendée Globe was her tenacity and determination when faced with multiple setbacks, having entertained viewers with her daily selfie updates and uplifting personality.

The 47-year-old said: “I’d like it to be the everyday Pip, but I think, maybe, it’s the Pip that comes out with something that I am so passionate and feel so lucky to have done. I was just so happy; it was the best three months of my life.”

When asked what lies next for Pip and the Vendée Globe, she responded by saying “2024 with wings”.

“I think there are a lot of conversation to have but, ideally, a 2016 boat would be amazing,” she added.

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Although she says she plans on setting aside time to recover from the Vendée Globe yacht race, Pip already has her eyes set on her next challenge: this year's Three Peaks Yacht Race, which is due to start on June 19, 2021.

Pip said: “So the Three Peaks Yacht Race is quite an old race in the UK, I think it is 42 years old now. Basically, you sail from Wales to England to Scotland between the three highest peaks in each of the countries and you run up the mountains.

“But the race has always been done in teams of five and you have two runners and three sailors, and while the sailors are sailing, the runners sleep and while the runners run, the sailors sleep.

“Me and my friend Charles are the only people in history to do it doublehanded, so we did all the sailing and all the running, and this year we want to do it again but win it.”