Many of us dream of a career in professional sport during the wonderful days of childhood when anything could be possible; but few will ever make it their career. The reality is harsh.

We solo sailors like to be in control. Living 24/7 on a supercharged brute of a boat, navigating through some of the world’s most remote environments, being entirely responsible for our own safety and performance requires super vigilance and super control. We like to plan, we choose the course to steer, we define our parameters for risk and reward, we accept responsibility for our mistakes and take pride in our successes.

My two main objectives for the month of February were to organise shipping the boat back to the UK, and to work on finding a sponsor or sponsors who would be excited enough about the Pip Hare Ocean Racing team to want to build a partnership over the next couple of years. Neither of these things I can make happen alone.

When I looked up to see the mast of Medallia falling towards me on the 15th December, in a split second everything was over, I felt a loss so deep I couldn’t breathe.

A Q&A from Pip after she dismasted in the Southern Ocean 800 NM from Australia.