Life at the Sharp end

Monday 01 January 2018

Phil Sharp is probably Jersey's most successful offshore sailor. This year, together with sailing partner Pablo Santurde, he won the Class 40 Championship, and the European Trophy. So what are his plans for 2018?

He plans to move up another step, to the Class 60 Championship, as preparation for his ultimate goal: competing in the "Everest of offshore sailing."

It's known as the Vendée Globe, and is a solo non-stop race around the world. Express was keen to find out how he felt last year had gone, how he'd be spending the festive season, and his plans for 2018.

Here's what he had to say...

"Is it already Christmas? Seriously? I have to admit this is a bit of a shock to the system, having only just arrived back to Jersey following my recent transatlantic from France to Brazil. This involved racing from the European winter to the Brazilian tropical summer and with a week of recovery on some tranquil Brazilian islands just after the race, I was just starting to get into summer holiday mode; snorkelling, swimming, sipping caipirinhas on the beach… even starting to get into a book!

Pictured: 2017 has been a very successful year for Phil Sharp, next year he hops to move up to the Class 60 Championships.

"2017 has been packed full of some great offshore racing that has taken us far afield. It is difficult to believe that on our Class 40 race boat we have clocked up some 10,000 miles and 30 days of offshore racing this year. Fortunately the year has ended well, with us winning the overall Class 40 Championship, as well as the European Trophy. We have had some fantastic support, particularly in Jersey, that has enabled us to achieve this objective, which is great for the team.

"Despite the dark cloud of Christmas shopping that is inevitably going to have to suck me into town very soon, it is really quite nice to be back in the real world, and have my feet on dry land. I am particularly looking forward to spending some time with friends and family that I haven’t seen for months, but also getting some degree of routine back in my life.

"My physical condition always deteriorates heavily over a long race, and I am looking forward to doing some daily exercise in the gym, running, and cycling, and getting myself back in shape. This has the added bonus of enabling you to eat as much as you want over Christmas, without feeling remotely guilty. Last year was a classic Christmas blunder as I ended up invited to two Christmas lunches at slightly different times, neither of which I could say no to. The morning of Christmas day I went for a 40 mile bike ride to maximise hunger levels which enabled me to get all the way to cheese and port on the second lunch, but it was a struggle.

Pictured: Phil Sharp and his team mate Pablo Santurde.

"This year, however, Christmas and New Year are going to be slightly different! My fiancé and I are heading off to the Canaries for a week’s windsurfing (okay, yes, I suppose that’s sailing). Instead of eating turkey and Brussel sprouts, we might as well be eating calamares and paella, perhaps washed down with a jug of sangria - with windsurfing for dessert. It will be a Christmas to remember for sure!

"I see the New Year break also an important opportunity to take a step back and start planning next year’s adventures. Having now competed in six transatlantic races, I feel ready to race around the world. Next year our plan is to move up to the IMOCA 60 Class, the incredible new foiling 60ft monohulls that are very much the Formula 1 of offshore racing. The objective is to focus towards the Barcelona World Race, a 25,000 mile race around the world, double-handed, in January 2019. It will be an incredible challenge, and next year we hope to compete in several offshore events and training programmes to prepare for this big adventure."