On Sunday 10 November, 40 sailors will start the world’s toughest solo, non-stop round the world race known as the Vendée Globe, circling the entire planet and skirting Antarctica. Taking nearly three months, the solo skippers will face brutal conditions. Six of the skippers are female and Britain’s Samantha Davies, is ranked one of the race favourites as she embarks on her fourth participation in the race.
No woman has won the race since it began in 1989. The closest to that prize was Britain's Dame Ellen MacArthur in 2000-2001, who finished in second place, and remains the only woman to have made it to the podium. Davies hopes to become the first woman ever to win the race: “There is no difference between a man and a woman in our sport. And we know that one day a woman will win the Vendée Globe,” said Davies. “Our generation has shown that we can lead successful projects in order to aim for the very top step of the podium.”
Born in the UK into a family of sailors, Davies aged 50, went to school in Portsmouth and gained a degree in engineering from Cambridge University. She now lives in France with her young son, Ruben, juggling motherhood and her racing project with the support of her family.
“It's great to be one of the favourites in the race,” said Davies. “For me, it's credit to the team and all the hard work we've done together to finish this boat and optimise her, and get her solid enough to push hard and trust that she'll stay in one piece.” At the helm of her new IMOCA Initiatives-Cœur, built in 2022, Sam uses every race to raise funds for children with heart defects.
Davies is also supported by British sailing clothing company, Musto. Eleven of the 40 skippers in the Vendée Globe will be wearing Musto apparel as they battle the ‘Everest of the Seas’.
“When you are preparing for this race with the aim of winning, you want the very best in every domain - Musto fulfils our specification perfectly,” said French skipper Charlie Dalin who finished second in the last Vendée Globe.
Top of the list for the skippers is the HPX GORE-TEX Pro Ocean series jacket, smock and trouser, built to withstand thousands of hours of racing in the unforgiving ocean and with innovative detailing to keep the water out.The kit is engineered with GORE-TEX Pro fabric for the greatest barrier against the elements and unmatched breathability.
For the first time this year, Musto have worked with skippers to develop the MPX Impact trousers and jacket with built-in protective pads at the elbows and knees, to help prevent injury. The high-tech boats can sail close to 35 miles per hour in certain conditions as they ‘fly’ over the waves.
“Since our founder, Keith Musto, first worked with legendary skipper Conny van Rietschoten to develop the offshore clothing for his victorious 1981-82 Whitbread Round the World Race, Musto has continued with the same approach of working in partnership with our sailors to develop the clothing they need,” said Musto Head of Marketing, Nick Houchin.
“Our ambassadors like Samantha Davies and Charlie Dalin have all been instrumental in testing prototypes, spending hundreds of hours at sea putting our kit through its paces, and providing valuable feedback.
“This gives us the intel we need to produce the high tech performance clothing available to all sailors today, whether they are racing solo around the world, or sailing for fun at the weekends.”
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