Around the world in ninety days is Hammy’s dream

Around the world in ninety days is Hammy’s dream

31 August 2016

A SAINTFIELD man is playing a leading role in a gruelling round the world sailing race. Hammy Baker has been named reserve skipper on the Irish entry for the single-handed non-stop Vendee Globe race which begins in November.

The 60-foot yacht, Kilcullen Voyager, will be skippered by Irish sailing legend Enda O’Coineen, who  will be sailing 25,000 miles for three months without a break.

However, should he encounter any problems before the start of the race in November, 26 year-old Hammy will step in and take his place.

The Vendee Globe is regarded as one of the toughest sporting challenges in the world and is raced every four years. Only 72 sailors have managed to complete the route since its inception in 1968.

Hammy, who learned to sail at Quoile Yacht Club on Strangford Lough, is a full-time professional sailor who has competed on the single-handed racing circuit in Europe and taken part in several prestigious races.

However, none of them come close to the demands of the Vendee Globe. Around 30 yachts are expected to make the starting line in France, but fewer than half of them will get to the finish.

Skippers can expect to sleep for only 20 minutes at a time, particularly in busy shipping lanes where the chances of a collision are high, and they will have to put up with mountainous seas and gales which can last for days.

Kilcullen Voyager is a state-of-the-art racing machine which can reach speeds of over 20 knots and comes with all sorts of mod-cons, including two desalination plants which turn sea water into fresh water, two satellite systems to maintain communication with an onshore back-up team and two self-steering systems.

Although he won’t be in the race barring any mishaps, Hammy has been training alongside Enda and learning how all the boats systems work.

“The main goal for me is to race in the Vendee Globe,” he said. “To be involved in an all-Ireland team is definitely a huge step towards that goal.

“You want to be as fast as possible to win the race, but you also want to get around. These boats have two purposes — to lap the planet as fast as possible and to lap the planet without breaking.

He added: “Irish sailing is on a bit of a high at the moment. As a sport sailing is definitely getting into the headlines a little bit more and pushing in the right direction. For me to be involved in this team is a huge opportunity.”