Sunsail Racing sponsor Pippa Hare in the 2011 Mini Transat

Sunsail sponsor Pippa Hare’s 2011 Mini Transat campaign © Sunsail Racing

Sunsail are pleased to announce the sponsorship of Pippa Hare’s 2011 Mini Transat campaign. Pippa Hare is one of just two British entries in the 2011 Mini Transat which has a total of 84 entries. Pippa will compete against Europe’s top sailors in the Mini Transat race, sailing from France, to Madeira and then to Brazil, covering 4,200 miles just over 4 weeks.

Simon Conder; Sunsail’s UK Head of Marketing said; “Sunsail Racing is proud to be sponsoring Pippa’s campaign in the prestigious and challenging 2011 Mini Transat, one of just two British entries, Pippa, who has been working with Sunsail for many years, is the perfect choice of partner for us.

With our recent launch of our new winter racing programme in the Canaries, the brand new racing fleet of Sunsail F40’s and the Sunsail Racing Brand, this partnership is firmly inline with our strategy and commitment to supporting the future of sailing at every level.”

Pip commented; “I am hugely pleased to have the support of Sunsail in this campaign, I have loved working with them as a skipper for many years and on so many of their events, so am delighted to have their backing in this venture. There are only two British entries to this race, and I am very, very proud to be one of them. The Mini Transat is a prestigious and popular race, and true to form this year it is more popular than ever. The competition has been unbelievably fierce just to get an entry into the event and on the water it will be tougher still.”

Pippa has a wealth of sailing experience having clocked up approximately 70,000 miles across the worlds’ oceans, including down to Patagonia, the Pacific, and the Atlantic.

Pippa's achievements and highlights:

2011

• Round the Island Race. Island Sailing Club, Cowes UK. – 3rd out of 41 entries in Division 1B. Sailing as co-skipper. 438 boats retired due to strong wind and sea conditions.
• Artemis Ocean Racing Academy – Associate Member, Mini Campaign.
• Archipelago 6.50. Classe Mini d’Italie Category B Event. Circolo della Vela, Talamone, Scarlino, Italy – 3rd in the Production Boat Division and 3rd overall out of 30 entries.
• Grande Prix d’Italia. Classe Mini d’Italie Category B Event. Yacht Club Italiano, Genoa, Italy – 11th in the Production Boat Division and 15th overall out of 32 entries.
• Fastnet of Plymouth. Category B Event. Royal Western Yacht Club, Plymouth, UK – 3rd in the Production Boat Class and 6th overall out of 13 entries

• The Ladies Day Trophy. Cowes Week. One of the final six nominees in the 5th year of this award which recognises the achievements and contribution of women in sailing.
• Shetlands Double-Handed Round Britain & Ireland Race. Royal Western Yacht Club, Plymouth, UK – 1st in IRC Class 3 and 1st overall in the IRC division out of over 60 entries.
• Dubarry Women’s Keelboat Championships. Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble, UK. Class IRC1 – 1st place with 5 wins out of 6 races and placed 2nd overall out of 16 entries.

• Crewed in Hamble Winter Series, 1st in Class and 1st and placed 2nd overall.
• OSTAR. Royal Western yacht Club, Plymouth, UK. Finished 15th overall with an elapsed time of 17 days 23 hours 5 minutes despite having to request dispensation from the race committee to put back to Ireland for rigging repairs. 8 boats retired during the race. Pip sailed an Oyster Lightwave 395 and was sponsored by Cazenove Capital.
• Solo voyage 7500 miles non-stop from Uruguay to UK.

• 20,000 miles double-handed in 39-ft boat via Patagonia

• Laser 5000 four-year European racing campaign.