Three images (above) of Sam Davies and Roxy arriving in Les Sables d'Olonne at the end of the Vendée Globe. All images copyright Jacques Vapillon/DPPI/Vendée Globe.
by Justine Ozoux
· Sam posts second quickest time ever for a female Vendée Globe sailor after 95 days, 4 hours and 39 minutes at sea (official time after 32 hours redress)
· Roxy covered 27,470 miles to complete the gruelling circumnavigation of the globe
· Sam Davies finishes third on the water, first Briton and first female competitor home
· Leading British sailor ecstatic as she is welcomed home by thousands of fans
· Roxy one of just 11 boats from an original fleet of 30 to finish the race
Today at 00:41 (GMT), leading British female sailor Sam Davies onboard Roxy completed her first solo, non-stop round the world Vendée Globe race in an incredible time of just over 95 days. Sam posted the second fastest time ever for a female Vendée Globe skipper, narrowly missing out on Ellen MacArthur’s record of 94 days and 4 hours after becoming stranded in light winds during the final days of the race. Sam’s bright pink Open 60 yacht Roxy covered an incredible 27,470 miles during the three month race at the average speed of 12.02 knots.
Sam Davies on shore. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/DPPI/Vendée Globe.
Upon completing the race, Sam commented “I am absolutely ecstatic to have finished the toughest adventure of my life! The emotion of three months alone at sea with my beautiful Roxy yacht has started to pour out as I am overwhelmed by the amounts of people who have come out to see the end of our epic voyage in the middle of the night. I am delighted to see my cheri Romain and gave him a BIG Valentine’s Day kiss!”
Sam has battled for three months over a course that has taken her down the Atlantic Ocean, past the Cape of Good Hope, around the iceberg-strewn Southern Oceans to the fearsome Cape Horn, and ultimately onto the final Atlantic sprint home.
Originally hoping for a top ten finish, Sam has far surpassed all pre-race expectations and has been embraced by the international media as a formidable and extremely enthusiastic competitor. One leading national newspaper summed up perfectly the phenomenon that is la petite anglaise as she has become affectionately nicknamed in France by commenting, “Sam has taken the race by the throat, the public by storm, and is as fresh and cheerful at the finish as she was at the start on 9th November 2008”.
Sam is congratulated by the crowd. Image copyright Jean Marie Liot/DPPI/Vendée Globe.
Sam’s mettle was tested as early as November as she launched Roxy into the Bay of Biscay. In an example of what was to come, Roxy was swamped by massive gusts and waves in a storm that saw several of her rivals fall at the first hurdle. This baptism of fire was, however, only the first of a number of challenges that Sam would face in pursuit of solo sailing’s ultimate prize.
Ever-changing weather conditions down through the Atlantic and into the Southern Ocean meant that every day Sam faced numerous changes between her enormous spinnaker (nicknamed Sophie), gennaker (Genevieve) and smaller Solent. These demanding sail changes left Sam physically and mentally exhausted but were vital in the three month long battle to secure the best possible finish for herself, her boat and her team: “I am so proud of this achievement not only for myself, but also for my fantastic Roxy support team. I could not have done this race without them and I’m looking forward to celebrating with everybody who came to see me!”
In December, Sam was at hand to assist in the dramatic Mercy Mission rescue of fellow Vendée skipper and friend, Yann Eliès. Roxy raced to the Frenchman’s aid after he suffered a horrific broken leg while alone onboard his yacht in the depths of the Southern Ocean, and offered morale boosting psychological aid as lay stranded, awaiting rescue.
Less than three weeks later, Sam was rocked by the plight of another French Vendée skipper, Jean Le Cam, who became trapped under his boat after losing his keel. These two dramatic events, along with numerous other irreparable damages to other boats, went a long way in reinforcing the Vendée Globe’s reputation as a boat-breaker. Indeed, only 11 from an original fleet of 30 boats have, or are scheduled to finish the race.
The rounding of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn were big personal milestones for Sam as they signalled the beginning and the end of the mighty Southern Ocean. Life onboard an Open 60 is anything but relaxing, especially when faced with waves of up to 50 foot, raging storms and little sunlight. However, Sam persevered over the weather conditions and even the breaking of her favourite tea cup to enter the final stages of the race locked in battle for third place with French skipper Marc Guillemot.
Sam celebrates with the crowd, as she tries to spray champagne high up over Roxy. Image copyright Jean Marie Liot/DPPI/Vendée Globe.
Having overtaken Safran, one of the original race favourites, in December, Roxy built a good lead that subsequently vanished as she became stuck in no wind for nearly a week. It looked as if the lead was to be lost until Safran tragically lost her keel, forcing Guillemot to attempt to finish the race with a severely damaged boat. Due to the 82 hour redress given to Guillemot after diverting his course in the rescue of Yann Elies, Sam must now hope that 50 hours or more elapse between Roxy’s final race time and Safran’s final race time, to ensure she retains third place.
Sam is ecstatic at the completion of her first Vendee Globe finish. She will now stay in Les Sables d’Olonne to see her fellow competitors finish the race, and attempt to come to terms with the remarkable feat of seamanship that she has achieved. Sam’s perseverance and dogged tenacity have led her to an outcome that few although not Sam herself would have thought possible: “Third place on the water, first Briton and first female skipper! Not bad for a little lady on a bright pink boat! The Southern Ocean was the key Roxy has been around twice before so I knew that if we could come out of there in one piece, we could take on anyone up the home straight.”
It is exactly this honest, determined attitude that have delighted Sam’s supporters all over the world throughout the race and written a new chapter in the history of female British sailors. On the water, this result marks the end of an incredible journey for la petite Anglaise and her bright pink steed. However, Sam has also cemented her place at the top table of global yacht racing and is now certain to considered one to watch if she makes it to the start line of the next Vendée Globe in 2012: “I am sure I will start to get itchy feet very soon; my next dream is to be here in four year’s time, with a new boat and to do better than this year the pressure is on!”
Sam Davies' entry into Les Sables d'Olonne with Roxy. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/DPPI/Vendée Globe.
SAM DAVIES VENDEE GLOBE 2008/2009 facts:
3 to 5 litres of water per day, coming from a water maker
1 Christmas
1 New Year
Between 0 to 60 knots of wind
30 sea water showers
100 dolphins seen
1 fainting incident
Climbed Roxy mast twice
Saw land once in 95 days (between Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands)
1st ever solo rounding of Cape Horn
50 videos sent from Roxy via satellite phone
250 photos sent from Roxy via satellite phone
ONBOARD ROXY for the 2008/2009 Vendee Globe
In total at the start of the Vendee Globe: 500 kg of material including 117 of food and 50 of clothing
7 cameras
1.5 km of ropes
9 sails
3 pairs of sunglasses
1 ski mask
100 freeze-dried food portions
270 teabags
14 books (read 10)
10 Dvds (watched 3)
1 chocolate bar per day (total of 100 + eaten)
Roxy
Vendée Globe
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