How to Get into Offshore Ocean Racing (and What Snacks Hit Home)

Solo offshore sailing is a full-blown test of endurance, problem-solving, and how long you can function on short naps. In La Rochelle, France, Ollie Hill and Ellie Driver share what it’s really like racing alone across oceans with no outside assistance: fixing everything yourself, preparing for anything that might break, and somehow squeezing rest into tiny bursts on a bean bag or pipe cot while the boat keeps moving.

Between the chaos, there’s a joy to it all. Sailors rely on preparation, a wide range of skills, and surprisingly comforting onboard snacks like rice crackers and sugar waffles drowned in salted caramel sauce. Boats carry personality as much as equipment, with names as fun as “Rockhopper” and “Avocado,” but underneath it all is a simple truth: solo offshore racing is brutally hard, deeply addictive, and ends with a feeling of achievement that keeps pulling them back out to sea.

Hear it from Ellie and Ollie themselves: