Interview with OSTAR entrant Hannah White

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Hannah White (25) has just completed her 600 miles solo OSTAR qualifier in her yacht Pure Solo from Port le Foret to Lymington, out into the Bay of Biscay for 3 days and 3 nights , completing the cruise at an average speed of 8.5 knots.

After a good nights rest Hannah was happy to talk to Blog Star roving reporter Jerry Freeman about the trip

blogSTAR: A qc in March? How cold was that? What sailing kit are you wearing to stay warm?

Hannah: because of the nature of the project and the timescale that I have (I only got the green light for the campaign 3 weeks ago) I had no choice but to qualify in March. Luckily the weather was very kind to me, and I although it was very cold with the easterlies that I had, I didn’t see more than 25knots.
The great advantage though is I am now in my 4th year with clothing supplier Helly Hansen and their kit never fails to keep me warm. It’s all about layering!

blogSTAR: with 11 hours if darkness how did you organise your sleep?

Hannah: Sleep was pretty difficult. The first few days of any solo trip are always tough as your body gets used to the interupted sleep patterns. I am quite a fan of sleeping during the day, and you really need to keep your wits about you at night especially in the channel with the fishing boats. My conscience wont let me sleep for any longer than about 45 mins as I panic about what I am about to crash into. I only have AIS on the figaro and not radar, so spotting fishing boats is sometimes earlier at night with the lights than it is during the day

blogSTAR: any hallucinations?

Hannah: No, not on this trip, I am quite happy with the way I managed my sleep, and by the time I got into Lymington I felt I was really in the rhythm and I could have kept going, it only took me a night in my own bed to recover which is a good sign of how the trip went.

blogSTAR: Did you manage to stay out of the shipping traffic?

Hannah: With AIS and no radar sometimes it is easier to be in amoungst the ships than it is with the fishing boats.
 
blogSTAR: Any fishing boat incidents?

Hannah: There was one scary realisation when I came up on deck having seen something register on my AIS, it was about 11pm and I have just had a half an hour kip. I was looking for a fishing boat on my port side that I had seen on the screen. I came up on deck and saw that I had 4 or 5 fishing boats around me. That is when I realised how vulnerable you are out there. I didn’t sleep again after that.

blogSTAR: do you have the latest electronic  to aids watch keeping; AIS,
sea me, Radar? LED, strobe, Tracker?

Hannah: I have AIS receiver but no transmitter. This is something I would really like for the race, I am also keen to get a radar for when I get over towards Newfoundland and the fog banks it will be really essential. I havent been offshore without a radar for a long time and it really took some getting used to.

blogSTAR: was the wind in the east all the trip? did you beat much?

Hannah: I had a lovely broad reach out into the Bay of Biscay and then a fetch up to Ushant but after that it was a beat all the way up the Channel.  I think wind was right on the nose. Very unusual, but great to get the boat going upwind and start getting used to life on a 45 degree angle again.

blogSTAR: Its very hard to take a out a strange boat on the first long trip, how did it go, any issues with the boat?

Hannah: The boat is fab. Because of our time constraints, it was really important to get a boat that was pretty much ready to do the race so that I could spend the time training rather than fixing the boat up. The boat is owned by Liz Wardley who has been campaigning the boat in the Figaro Circuit for the last 4 years. Liz has got the boat absolutely sorted and I am so lucky to be able to benefit from her experience and expertise. It was quite a bold move to jump in a boat and head off on a 600 mile solo trip straight away, but I had confidence in the boat and in my ability, so it was just a case of getting on and doing it.

blogSTAR: how do you like the Figaro? any surprises? any disappointments?

Hannah: Having come from  sailing class 40’s and previously open 40’s the great thing about the Figaro is the simplicity of them. The figaro class really focuses on boat speed and the skills on the skipper rather than state of the art (expensive) technology.
I have also sailed an awful lot of Beneteau’s over the last few years and so it was reassuring familiar noticing all the little beneteau quirks on the boat. The one thing I am going to have to keep reminding myself is that I am not sailing a 40 or a 60, I am sailing a figaro, so I shall be spending a lot of time with the polars getting used to the lower averages.  That said for a 10m boat they are fantastic off the breeze and certainly comfier upwind than the 40’s I have sailed which is great for the OSTAR
blogSTAR: Not long to go to the start of the race on May 25th?do you have any major changes to the boat planned?

Hannah: no major changes to the boat.... A couple of new sails and some tweaks here and there, but as I said we wanted a boat that was ready to go and something that I could get as much ‘on the water’ time as I could rather than spending my time fitting some new equipment. There will of course be a few bits and pieces fitted to improve my comms, and some cameras. We are also putting on a new forestay, but apart from that it will be about getting as much time training as possible.

blogSTAR: What next for you and Pure solo , will you train in France or UK?

Hannah: PureSolo will be kept at the Lymington Yacht Haven until we head down to Plymouth. It would be great to go back to France, but logistically it just isn’t possible. I am very fortunate in Lymington I have some fantastic friends who are helping me and I love working with all the local businesses who have
supported me over the years. Keeping the boat at the Lymington Yacht haven is wonderful, I have my office, boat and home and gym all within a mile of each other and it just saves so much time. Knowing you have that help and support from the town is so important. I have lived here on and off for 10 years and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

blogSTAR: Unfinished Business?
 
Hannah: I retired from the 2005 OSTAR a week into the race, and turning around and heading back to Ireland was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I made a promise to myself that I would be back in 4 years time to compete again. It’s been such a busy 4 years and a massive learning curve with jobs, promises of sponsorship and tough times, and a month ago I was really beginning to doubt whether I would be on the start line. But I never gave up that hope, despite many people telling me I was mad to keep going. here I am 2 months from the start with a boat, some money in the bank, and an entry in the OSTAR. I have already achieved my dream and I wouldn’t have done that without the belief and support of some amazing people, and their support in these tough times making
this all this even more humbling. Achieving a good result in the race for me would be the icing on the cake, but for me that fact that I even have the cake I feel is amazing achievement in itself.

blogSTAR: and the team?

Hannah: I don’t have a crew – I don’t have the budget. I will have a preparateur for the couple of weeks before the start, but everything else is DIY!! My family are great – I had my mother antifouling yesterday, and my
friends are fantastic helping out when they can. As I said, living in Lymington you realise how a small town community can chip in at times like this.

I am having a launch at the Royal Thames in early May as I shall be racing under their burgee. This is for supporters, sponsors, and journalists and we shall have a small fairwell bash in Lymington before I go for all the people that have helped with the project. Nothing too flash though, we’ll save the party for when I get home!

Sponsors – I am so lucky... Music – PureSolo, Clothes – Helly Hansen, Vodka – Wight Vodka and today Liz Earle Skin Care products have announced they will be supporting me. It’s a dream come true. I love working with consumer brands, and these 4 brands reflect my personality 100%. I am so grateful of their support.

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