Irish Offshore Sailor Pamela Lee Secures €40k Sponsorship for Transat Jacques Vabre Transatlantic Campaign

27th September 2023

Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee from Greystones Harbour (left) with co-skipper Tiphaine Ragueneau from France are taking on the Transat Jacques Vabre Transatlantic race this October

rish offshore sailor Pamela Lee from Greystones Harbour (left) with co-skipper Tiphaine Ragueneau from France are taking on the Transat Jacques Vabre Transatlantic race this October

Irish offshore sailor Pamela Lee has secured €40k in sponsorship from Ireland-France ferry operator DFDS/Brittany Ferries for her Class40 project as she prepares to set sail for the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic sailing race in October.

Lee will skipper one of only three all-women teams taking part in the race, alongside Tiphaine Ragueneau.

Pamela, 34, from Greystones Harbour in County Wicklow, Ireland, and Tiphaine, 30, from the Finistère region of France, start racing on 29 October 2023.

The Transat Jacques Vabre race is one of the most prestigious events on the international sailing calendar, with 100 boats participating. Its route from the French seaside resort of Le Havre to Fort-de-France Bay in the Caribbean traces a historic coffee trading route. The race is named after Jacques Vabre, the French ground coffee brand, and was created in 1993.

Crews prepare to depart for the 40 Malouine race in Saint-Malo on 23 September as they continue preparations for the Transat Jacques Vabre race in October

Pamela is an experienced sailor who has crossed the Atlantic ten times in her career. As regular Afloat readers know, she established a Round Ireland world speed sailing record with the UK's Cat Hunt in 2020.

Tiphaine works as a full-time vet in France and has been a competitive sailor for ten years, competing at World Championship Level since 2017.

Looking forward to the start of the Transat race, Tiphaine said: “We know the race will be very intense, and with this course, we feel like we’re really stepping up a level, but we can’t wait to get started.”

Lee, who recently won the Cap Pour Elles project, has also gained support from sailing gear manufacturer, Musto.

Published in Pamela Lee, Transatlantic Jacques Vabre

Published in Pamela Lee

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About Pamela Lee, Irish Offshore Sailor

Ireland has produced some of the world’s most dedicated offshore sailors, and Pamela Lee of Greystones is one of them. She has made a name for herself in the sailing world, having worked as a mate on a charter Super-yacht for two and a half years. After coming ashore, she has been fully committed to her offshore sailing ambitions since 2019.

Lee has raced in various craft, including Figaro 3s, Class 40, Tp 52s, and multihulls, and has eight transatlantic crossings under her belt. In partnership with Kenny Rumball, Lee supported Rumball’s La Solitaire du Figaro sailing campaign to secure the Irish berth in the proposed Mixed Offshore Keelboat event for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

One of Lee’s stated main aims is to promote female empowerment in sport, and she set out to establish a double-handed Round Ireland speed record with Englishwoman Cat Hunt in the winter of 2020. This campaign gained much publicity, and Lee expressed pride in bringing sailing and offshore sailing, in particular, into the conversation for 2020.

To further her offshore sailing career, Lee moved to France, where she has recently secured a place to skipper a yacht in the Transat Jacques Vabre Challenge in October 2023. Lee’s passion and dedication to offshore sailing are inspiring, and her achievements are a testament to her hard work and perseverance.