Ambre Hasson's unconventional but inspiring path into sailing
by Mark Jardine 29 Oct 18:00 GMT
Ambre Hasson is a Classe Mini sailor who will be talking to sailors in the Vendée Globe race village ahead of the start on 10th November. Originally not into sailing, she was inspired by Pip Hare in the 2020/21 Vendée to get into the sport and, despite the challenge and one serious setback, has used grit and determination to emulate her.
Born in Paris, then moving to Virginia, USA when she was 10, Ambre graduated in Economics and was working the 9 to 5 in tech at NYC when she heard the calling of the sea.
I chatted with Ambre to find out more about her background and how she has progressed in sailing.
When she was growing up, Ambre started slowly in sport, enjoying horseback riding and scuba diving, but it wasn't until college that she started down the competitive route as she describes, "I started running, and it was very painful at first because I was not in shape, but eventually I got over the hump, and it became a bit addictive. I did my first triathlon in college, and I just kept running. Then I moved to New York, and I did my first marathon, another triathlon and another marathon - I really got into endurance sports. It's a physical challenge, but even more so the mental challenge of just getting to the end."
While she has memories of sailing with her grandpa at an early age, she hadn't had dreams of sailing, but had always loved the ocean, and the water view from her office in New York fuelled her desire to get out on the water.
"I remember sitting in my office overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge and just staring at the water all day long instead of sending emails I was supposed to be doing. There was always something, just never really the opportunity to make that bloom."
It was four years ago that she learned to sail at a small school in the Florida Keys, and fell in love with sailing, while at the same time discovering Pip Hare and the Vendée Globe.
"It was the same time as the Vendée Globe and I discovered Pip Hare on social media, and thought 'what the hell is this? This is insane! I thought the idea was completely nuts, a single person out there in the elements on a 60-foot boat. I followed all the updates and there was something inside of me that wanted to be on that boat. I had no idea at that point how hard it was, but to me it was the ultimate adventure. There's climbing Mount Everest, and then there's doing the Vendée Globe. I remember when Pip fractured her rudder and had to change it in the Southern Ocean and I wanted to be a part of it in some shape or form."
Often people will be amazed and inspired by the exploits of a sailor like Pip, but taking the next steps and becoming an offshore sailor yourself takes dedication and determination. Ambre continued to follow the call of the ocean:
"There was a part of me that wanted to keep going further and further away from the coast and I took those steps. I started doing deliveries so that I could get on fairly big boats and eventually realised that I wanted to sail by myself so that I could make my own decisions. So I decided to get my own boat, it was a free boat, and I soon discovered there is no such thing as a free boat!
"I found out about all the other classes, such as the Class 40, Figaro and eventually the Classe Mini, but it all seemed quite inaccessible. I then found myself in France, as I have family there, and I saw the start of a Mini race, and I'd never seen so many in one place, and I watched them set off.
"I started talking to these people, these crazy mini sailors, and found they are normal people. Some of them have a lot of experience, some of them not so much, there's a bit of everything. That was two years ago and I decided there and then that I was coming back with a Mini. So I went back to the US, worked in boatyards, came back to France and bought a boat, and then started training."
Finding her place in the class came soon afterwards as the sailors warmed to her, and she found a lot of support from within their ranks:
"The Classe Mini spirit is pretty incredible. We are solo sailors, but on the docks it's a collective effort and we all help each other. I speak French which I think helps. In the beginning I think I scared them a little bit as they wondered 'Who is this girl? Showing up here, full on.', but I think people warmed up to me as I speak the language."
A Classe Mini is no ordinary boat, capable of planing fast, while also taking on the roughest of seas, which means you have to develop skills in many areas as Ambre explained:
"It's a very different kind of sailing, and that means everything is next level: the preparation of the boat, the resources required to prepare the boat, the financial aspect, and all those things are happening all the time. It's very demanding on many different fronts. You have to put a business hat on, then a sailor's hat, then a composite hat, and you're switching them all the time."
Ambre's journey in the Classe Mini hasn't always been smooth sailing, and she lost her first boat in dramatic circumstances after completing a 1000 nautical mile qualifier for the Mini Transat:
"My boat was the cheapest I could find and was the oldest in the fleet, which made things very challenging. I needed to complete the qualifier from France to Ireland and back within 12 days before the deadline. The weather wasn't looking great, but I talked to a weather expert and made a plan that could work, staying on the outskirts of the low pressure systems. It was an adventure, but I loved it and became very comfortable with my boat and, four weather fronts later, I completed the 1000 miles.
"I then called Port Bourgenay, five miles southeast of Les Sables d'Olonne, that I'm supposed to go into to finish the qualifier, telling them that I'd be there in the morning, and they arranged to tow me in when I arrived. I got to the port, which has a very long channel and you have to align yourself with the first buoy, hailed them and they replied to keep going downwind, and halfway down drop your mainsail, and at the entrance we'll tow you in."
Ambre though wasn't happy with how things were going on the approach, as there was a big swell leftover from the depressions, and not a lot of depth either side of the channel.
"The waves started breaking about halfway through, and I thought 'This is bad', but there was no way to turn back. I hailed them again, as the sea wall looked like one big wall. I was seeing the channel markers, but not the entrance, and I finally saw the Zodiac that's supposed to tow me, hiding from the swell because understandably they didn't want to go out in it.
"At that exact moment a wave caught the back of my boat and pushed me just outside the green channel marker buoy and my keel touched the bottom. The Zodiac tried to push me back in the channel, but a wave caught both of us, and then I was on a rock with waves crashing over me. I then saw my keel go through the boat, I could hear the sound of fibreglass breaking, and water coming in, and that was the moment I realised there was nothing I could do. Deciding whether it was time to abandon ship or not was awful. I remember slamming the cabin top in anger, feeling so powerless. I grabbed my essential bag and jumped overboard, went under the water before my lifejacket inflated and brought me back to the surface.
"I then swam to this little beach, and a man on the beach asked if he could help with my bags, but I just couldn't talk. I think there was still a lot of rage on my face at the situation as he took a step back, so I quietly handed him a bag. I think I was in shock for around two weeks."
This experience would be more than enough to put someone off sailing forever, but Ambre was in no doubt that she wanted to continue sailing.
"My biggest anxiety after losing my boat was the fact I didn't have a boat anymore. Even though the qualifying sail had been hard, I'd really enjoyed the time alone on my boat and I wanted to keep doing that."
Ambre then needed to find another Mini, and this time had a lot more knowledge about the class and connections within it, to help make the right choice.
"Buying a boat, there's a practical aspect and there's also an emotional aspect. I wanted a prototype because I just loved that aspect of the minis, and I wanted a sexy boat. I couldn't see myself on a boat with a modern scow bow. I was still going through a heartbreak, so I had a hard time picturing myself on another boat, and then I saw a boat that I thought was stunning, and the more I talked about it to people about it, they said that's a magical boat. A very difficult boat, very challenging, but magical.
"I spoke with one of my friends, Benoit Marie, who won the Mini Transat on 667, who said I should get that boat as it's the sistership of the one he had. So I found 618 in Finland, took my friend Geert Schouten, a naval architect who would have a more objective view than me, who said it was very well built and in very good condition.
"I had to do some electrical work, the antifouling, but started training in January and have just finished the entire season, and have finished my 1000 mile qualifier. After what had happened previously, getting into the port after that qualifier was the most stressful part of my entire season."
The elation at finishing a full Mini season and qualifying for the Mini Transat 2025 was obvious in Ambre's voice and, after the trials and tribulations of her previous season, ending on a high note put her bad memories to rest.
"I'd picked a port that I know, Douarnenez, which is where I train, and I remember getting into the beautiful bay. It's the place that I fell in love with and convinced me to buy a boat in the first place. Everything came together at that moment when I entered the bay. It was downwind conditions, with the sunset - it was perfect.
"I've never cried sailing, but entering the bay after everything was so magical to me, I shed a little tear of happiness. After all the pain, all the hard work, all the fear and everything just sort of landed me at this point. There were my friends waiting for me as well, so it was perfect."
Ambre is now working on the boat, as there's always a long list of tasks that need doing, and sail and rig handling systems have evolved since her boat was built in 2006. She's looking to make everything as reliable as possible, allowing her to make the right sail choices during the Mini Transat itself. She's built quite a following on social media, and an excellent relationship with supporting sponsors:
"I'm beyond grateful to have incredible people and partners like Adjuvoo supporting this journey. Their belief in me is what turns this project into reality."
As for goals after that Ambre wants to take one step at a time, but is of course looking to the future.
"Let me just do my Transat first, because it's already such a massive event, but of course, we do project ourselves into the future, and the whole reason I'm here is is because of the Vendée Globe, but that's in many years and it's going to take a bit of time, but it's always in the back of my mind. Going back to Pip Hare, it's all her fault really!"
Ambre will be interviewing Vendée Globe sailors for Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com in Les Sables d'Olonne ahead of the race start on 10th November. We of course will be following her own continuing sailing journey as it progresses! You can follow her on Instagram at @ambre_sails
Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor