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A Jersey-born sailor set a new world record as he crossed the finish line in the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race with his three teammates.
Phil Sharp finished the 1,805nm course in eight days, four hours, 14 minutes and 43 seconds, aboard Imerys Clean Energy yesterday afternoon.
Phil was accompanied by Pablo Santurdé and Julien Pulvé and Sam Matson for the crewed race which takes competitors around some of the busiest and most tactically challenging sailing waters in the world
The quartet had sailed from Cowes in the Isle of Wight on Sunday 12 August. After setting off in first position towards Ireland, they had to let go, only to regain their position last Wednesday, amid "crazy" conditions and 30 knot winds.
Video: Phil Sharp shares his delight about the team's victory.
With the competition sailing fast behind them, the boys had to battle not only the elements but also technical hiccups to keep hold of their first place.
Just as they were approaching the cold front and the wind was building, the spinnaker tore off. Phil said: "Just as we all went on deck to make the change, the boat buried its bow in a wave and the front of the spinnaker tore off completely. This then ripped off the edge of the sail from top to bottom, which is a massive disappointment
“Fortunately everyone jumped on the situation positively to try and repair it. The boat turned into a sail loft, with tape and glue absolutely everywhere. The boys did a really good job and we hope to fly the repaired kite very soon. Though I am confident that it will hold, you just never really can be 100% sure…"
Pictured: Sam Matson and Julien Pulvé at work on the spinnaker.
The misadventure caused the quartet to fall back to second place but they were back on first the following day. After windy conditions, they were happy to have some sun. Phil however said: "The sea temperature is icy and the nights are very cold, where you can see condensation with every breath, and it’s definitely mid-layers, thermals and a sleeping bag for off-watches."
Shortly after Imerys Clean Energy rounded Muckle Flugga, the most northern point of the British Isles and the crew celebrated with a taste of Pablo’s incredible jamon Serrano.
Pictured: Sharp raved about the wildlife as hundreds of phosphorescent glowing shrimp washed on Imerys' deck and birds filled the air in the cold climates of the top of Britain.
Phil commented: “Apart from a lot of rain, the north is wildly different from the south. It is a barren, isolated part of the world, but absolutely booming with life. Every direction you look there are gannets or fulmars roaming for food, gliding over the waves. There are so many gannets that live in the Shetland Islands that Muckle Flugga was actually white!
"The ocean is pumping with life, a couple of nights ago we had hundreds of small shrimp, possibly krill that washed onto the boat emitting an incredible phosphorescence glow. Nature never ceases to amaze me…"
On Friday night, with only 337 nm to go, the quartet faced yet another challenge. The main wind instruments went down, forcing the boat to crash tack and bringing it to a halt. "We have tried the spare kit, but it is refusing to work," said Phil. "So now we are down to zero wind instruments, which means that we have no wind reference until the end of the race. It’s back to dinghy sailing mode – feeling for the air, which is definitely a disadvantage, especially at night when you can’t see the wind on the sea.
After 1,850nm in the #SRBI race the front runners are on track to smash the World Record time of 8d 19h 6m! The final hours will be a test of navigation and patience as they battle through light winds and head currents all the way to the finish #GoTeam @RORCRacing pic.twitter.com/KTJlzFswxW
— Phil Sharp Racing (@PhilSharpRacing) August 19, 2018
Despite this, they managed to maintain a 30nm advance on their followers all the way to the finish. The final hours proved to be "a test of navigation and patience" as they battled through "light winds and head currents.
They eventually were the first to cross the finish line at Cowes, scoring what they described as "the ultimate hat-trick," they won the Class40 win, were the fastest boat across the entire race fleet the Line honours and set a new 40 foot World Record, subject to ratification.
This was no "easy feat" for the crew. Few even attempt to race around Great Britain and Ireland due to its very hostile and tactical nature and of the 28 boats that started the race, 10 retired due to damage aboard from such challenging conditions.
They've done it! A new World Record for Round Britain and Ireland 8d 4h 14m 43s pic.twitter.com/tbpLk1O89f
— Phil Sharp Racing (@PhilSharpRacing) August 20, 2018
Speaking after the arrival, Phil said: “We’re really happy with this result as the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race is undoubtedly the toughest offshore race this side of the Atlantic. Breaking the record is a serious bonus and I am really chuffed to place this alongside my 9 hour Channel World Record sprint!
“This year we saw real extremes of challenging weather conditions, from heavy downwind to light upwind sailing, and although in our Class we had other competitive boats that pushed us, it turned out to be very much a race of attrition…
“It’s very normal to have problems in heavy weather and the real issue is how you overcome them. Our biggest setback was losing our most valuable spinnaker just north of Ireland when approaching a cold front. The wind increased very quickly and sent the bow straight into a wave, ripping the spinnaker in two. Then, late Friday our wind instruments went down, in fact, the spare set was left hanging on a wire from the top of the mast!”
Pictured: From left, Julien Pulvé, Phil Sharp, Pablo Santurde and Sam Matson.
Finishing the Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race was about "survival of the fittest" Phil said, and being fit relies on both preparation and the crew. For the sailor, the endurance, tenacity and determination shown by the team throughout the entirety of this race explains how they crossed the finish line in first place.
“As a team we stayed positive even through major setbacks," he said. "This helped us overcome problems and retain our strength battling for the lead. This drive enabled us to keep our lead at Muckle Flugga, and it was this advantage that became pivotal for the remainder of the race.
“A massive thanks to Julien, Pablo and Sam for their resilience and for staying focused from beginning to end – I don’t think I could have chosen a better team – winning was always the only option and importantly we had a lot of laughs…”
Pablo Santurde added: “It has been a fantastic experience to join Imerys Clean Energy again after my time with Phil in the Transat Jacques Vabre. I really enjoy fully crewed sailing in particular as it means you can push the boat harder and extract its maximum potential. The satisfaction from completing and winning such a tough race is incredible.” Commented Pablo Santurde, crew aboard Imerys Clean Energy."
The Sevenstar was Phil's third race this year after the 1,000 Milles des Sables, in which he finished third, the Normandy Channel Race he won in May and the most recent Drheam Cup in which he took second position.
The sailor will now rest ahead of the departure of the infamous Route du Rhum in November.
The solo transatlantic race, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year, will start on 4 November from St. Malo, with Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) as final destination. Phil previously won the Route du Rhum in 18 days 10 hours 21 minutes 18 seconds in 2006, the first year for a Class 40 division in this race, and is hoping to add another win to his ever-growing list of victories.
Lead photo: @PhilSharpRacing/Twitter.
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