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15th June 2009 “Utterly incredible” were the first words spoken by single-handed sailor Hannah White as she crossed the finish line in Newport, Rhode Island at 07:52 local time (12:52 BST) on Sunday 14th June 2009 taking 19 days 23 hours and 22 minutes to complete the 3,000 nautical mile race.  Hannah is the first female to cross the line in this year’s OSTAR (The Original Single-Handed Transatlantic Race) and at just 26 years old this is an amazing achievement.
During the 19 days at sea Hannah was forced to deal with a barrage of tough conditions, emergencies on the boat and even the loss of her precious bean-bag which she found the most comfortable item to sleep on.  Right from the start the weather has been challenging with gale force winds and big seas.  This was followed by strong reaching winds and the final 1,000 nautical miles became a tactical battle for her as she dealt with calms, headwinds, an adverse Gulf Stream, ice and dense fog.
Hannah, on her boat PureSolo, is ecstatic to finish the race at this, her second attempt.  Her first attempt, four years ago ended in sorrow as her auto-pilot failed and this year, Hannah suffered a similar problem. She says “When my primary auto-pilot failed I have to admit I sobbed – it seemed so unfair to be doing so well in the race and be forced to
retire because of equipment failure. But this time I had a back-upauto-pilot and although it steered by the wind rather than by the compass, it did at least mean I could keep going.  During the 19 days at sea I have been up the mast twice, laboured for hours to untangle my sail, I have soldered, I have even become a master electrician! I never realized how tough it was to cross the Atlantic on your own and reading back through my blogs that I sent back daily to my shore team you can really feel the mixed emotions of every tough day and tough night”
Hannah came within 30 minutes of breaking the record for a boat under 35ft with her time of 19 days, 23 hours and 22 minutes.  She says that she was forced to take the spinnaker down to avoid a collision with a cargo ship just hours before the finish and it is this manoeuvre that cost her the record.  The record for a boat under 35ft wasset by Mary Falk on her boat QII in 1996 when she recorded a time of 19 days 22 hours and 57 minutes.
When Hannah was able to relax for a few minutes on board PureSolo she did manage to record and video herself singing a song to keep the supporters back home amused!  This can be seen at Hannah’s blog www.hannah-white.co.uk and was only possible through the use of her sponsor, Pure Solo’s, website which allows you to download backing tracks and record yourself singing or playing an instrument which you can then keep and share with friends.  Hannah certainly needed some fun to keep her smiling on her trip!  Thanks too have to go to SatCom Global who provided the hardware and the airtime to allow Hannah to communicate with her team, friends and family throughout the race.
Hannah finished by saying “I set myself this personal challenge since my failure four years ago.  I went away, learned everything I could about single-handed sailing, worked hard and now all that preparation has paid off.  I still cannot take it in that I was the fourth boat across the line and I was the first lady into Newport!”
Hannah now plans to have a rest before sailing the boat back to the UK and planning her next challenge.