POOLE Harbour Commissioners have announced that they have renewed their partnership with British Vendée Globe Sailor Pip Hare.

The harbour in Dorset is to become Pip’s home port once again as she prepares to sail single-handed, non-stop around the world as a competitor in the 2024 Vendée Globe.

Pip, who hails from the seaside town, said: “Poole Harbour is an incredible base for me, I’m thrilled that that PHC are once again offering me a home port to run my campaign from.

“It has meant such a lot to me to have the support of the local community and to be able to sail in an incredible area with great access to the English Channel.

“PHC have been supportive of me since I first started my campaign in 2019 and I’m really happy to be able to continue this relationship into the future."

Pip already has one Vendée Globe race under her belt.

In 2021, Pip completed the 24,296-mile 2020/2021 Vendée Globe in 95 days, 11 hours and 30 seconds.

She became one of only eight women in the world to ever complete the race, having finished in 19th place overall, despite having one of the oldest boats in the fleet.

For 2024, however, she has secured a much newer generation IMOCA, the 2016 foiling Verdier/VPLP model. It was raced as Bureau Vallée II by Louis Burton in the recent Vendée Globe race to third overall.

Kerrie Gray, Poole Harbour Commissioners Marinas Manager said: “We are incredibly proud to be supporting Pip once again. We gave her a berth for her 2020 campaign and are honoured that she has chosen to stay with us for the next leg of her journey.

Poole’s unique location has everything a sailor could possibly need, it’s full of natural beauty, it’s sheltered and has a diverse range of marina facilities. There is also a comprehensive range of local businesses to support your every sailing need.”

“It was a joy to see Pip’s last yacht in the marina, but her newer IMOCA takes it to a whole new level. We’ve yet to have a foiling boat of that size in the harbour let alone the marina, I cannot wait to welcome Pip and her new yacht back to Poole this Summer.”