None of us knows quite what 2025 will bring
Adapted from an article written by Pip Hare, Daily Telegraph
I’m alone in the ocean at Christmas, hundreds of miles from land on a boat with no mast
24th December 2024
Christmas this year will not be what I hoped it would be. Yes, I will be spending it on my boat, Medallia, on my own, in the middle of the ocean, but no longer do I find myself charging towards Cape Horn, trying to keep up with the frontrunners in the Vendee Globe solo around-the-world yacht race, straining every sinew to finish in the top 10, having become only the eighth woman in history to complete the race four years ago. Instead, I find myself limping towards Melbourne at a snail’s pace, with a makeshift mast and sails, having been dis-masted on December 15th.
I knew I had to be the solution to the problem. I went below, put on gloves, found the hacksaw, and then I went on deck to start work. Eventually, and within three hours of dismasting, I was sailing again. It was only then that the searing disappointment of what had happened really hit home. The boat was making three knots towards Australia, a far cry from the top speed of 39.6 knots I had clocked just 10 days earlier. I knew at that rate it would take me two weeks to make landfall. Two weeks alone on a slow boat, being bullied by the elements that just days ago I was audacious enough to try to master.
It is unlikely I will ever know what component failed or why, to bring my rig down. I have gone around and around the loop of what I could have done differently. The answer is: nothing. Mast failures are simply part and parcel of our sport. It was my turn, I guess.
But I have started to make plans. I have one more week at sea, before arriving in Melbourne. In one sense, I am as far away from my goal as I could get, on a boat with no mast. But these slow miles I make towards Australia mark the start of another journey. A journey of renewal, of lessons learned, of coming back stronger than ever. And ultimately to the start line of the Vendee Globe Race 2028.
A very warm welcome back to ¶¹ÄÌÊÓƵ and I hope everyone has had a happy Christmas and a restful holiday. For those of you who were able to do so, I hope you enjoyed spending time with your families…and I also want to everyone a very Happy New Year.
Stating the obvious, none of us knows quite what 2025 will bring. You may have read articles in the last week which anticipated the impact of a new President in the United States, the changes that may come from the ever greater role played by Artificial Intelligence, consequences of the ever increasing global temperatures as well as an aging population: in the UK, 1/5 of the population will be over 65 this year. You will have thought about the various parts of the world ravaged by war, and wondered whether things might improve, and of course we will have wondered what 2025 will bring in terms of our own lives.
Some of us will have made New Year resolutions. For example, perhaps we have resolved to reduce our daily screen time, particularly the use of social media, and to better use the extra time we free up; perhaps we have resolved to read more; we might have undertaken to make small changes in daily habits to reduce our carbon footprint or to be more understanding of those around us; or perhaps we have decided to broaden our range of interests…or maybe we have made plans to be more organised so that we use our time more productively each day. Whatever we have quietly and privately decided to do differently this year, I hope it makes 2025 just a little more special.
Stating the complete obvious, every year is different to every other, because the world is always changing. Picking a year at random – well almost - in 1936, sunscreen was developed for the first time; a helicopter made its first flight and there was the patent of the synthetic polymer nylon. It is hard to imagine a world without these things today. In 1936, there was also conflict in the world, including the start of the Spanish Civil War; there was the unprecedented abdication of then King of England and the Berlin Olympics are remembered for the achievements of Jesse Owens. He won four gold medals but also, as a black American athlete, contradicted the Nazi plan to the event to showcase the supposed superiority of the Aryan race – by contrast his success was a powerful statement against racial discrimination. In January 1936, I wonder whether folk like us saw those things coming.
In part, because of those events, 1936 was a special year and for different reasons, across the world in all sorts of ways, good and sometimes bad, 2025 will be special too. What matters is that all of us take steps, make necessary changes, respond to challenges and so on, so that we become slightly better versions of us. If we do, we will grow more over the 12 months that lie ahead. Equally, by being slightly better versions of ourselves, we can contribute more to the wider community. As the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi famously said, Be the change you wish to see in the world – if we want the world to change for the better, we have a responsibility to make changes in us too.
The passage that XX read to us a few moments ago is a snippet from an account, published on Christmas Eve by the sailor Pip Hare. As we heard, she was battling the elements in the Vendée Globe 2024 a solo, non-stop, round-the-world yacht race. The fastest time to complete what is often thought to be one of the toughest races in the world is 74 days. Pip Hare was performing well, things seemed to be going her way and then suddenly, her mast broke and all the effort seemed to be in vain.
Most of us won’t be taking anything on quite like the Vendée race this year, but there will be times when, unfairly, it seems all our efforts, hard work and best intentions are in vain. For no apparent reason, things won’t always work out and amongst all the happiness that will come this year, occasionally there will be also be the odd disappointment. When that happens, like Pip Hare, we will need to dig deep, perhaps seek help, but find it in usto keep going, in the knowledge that other opportunities will come our way…and if we do, in 2025 or beyond, we really do have the potential to achieve something special
And finally, although it won’t have come as a surprise that I chose to talk about 2025, some of you may have wondered why I also selected 1936. There will be a small edible reward in next week’s Routh for the first pupil to email me with the correct prediction of the next year which is special in the same way as 1936 and 2025 – good luck!