I did the Clipper Race [0] in 2007 when Hannah Jenner was the skipper aboard Glasgow. I never sailed directly under her but I sailed with plenty of others who did and they had nothing but praise for her abilities. I was also on a boat racing against her's numerous times so I've witnessed the sailing aspect firsthand.<p>At one point her boat had a man overboard in a force 6 in the southern ocean. It's a testament to her skill that he survived. It requires true leadership to keep your cool in those sorts of conditions.<p>[0] <a href="http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/" rel="nofollow">http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/</a><p>[1] <a href="http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/139315" rel="nofollow">http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/139315</a>
Alas, she only won due to the massive headstart such a boat is afforded.<p>> Dorade’s finishing time in the Transpac race this year was 12 days 5 hours 23 minutes 18 seconds<p>> Dorade started a week earlier than Pyewacket, which finished the course in 8 days 15 hours 41 minutes 3 seconds.<p>Still, nice to see wooden hulls aren't dead.
This boat is also where we get the name "Dorade box" which is a design of deck ventilator which catches the wind and directs it through the deck of the ship to the cabin below yet rejects any captured water.<p><a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorade_box" rel="nofollow">http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorade_box</a>
For a vaguely startup connection, Matt Brooks is also the founder of Brooks Range Mountaineering a small company that makes high performance/light weight outdoor gear and clothing. They've done some cool/risky/disruptive things over the years including a (now discontinued) winter tent that used a laminated, heat reflective material.