British yachtswoman Pip Hare has said she has “the whole world” ahead of her as she admitted to pre-race nerves as she crossed the start line of the Vendee Globe race.

The 50-year-old, based in Poole, Dorset, came 19th in the last edition of the race in 2020, completing the epic voyage in 95 days in the event’s second oldest boat and becoming only the eighth woman to finish.

Now Ms Hare, who set up her racing team in 2019 with a £25,000 bank loan and a crowdfunding appeal, is being tipped as a top 10 finisher in the prestigious and gruelling race, which has been expanded to 40 yachts from the previous 33.

Speaking as she was setting off in her 60ft yacht Medallia at the start of the solo, non-stop 24,300-mile race on Sunday, Ms Hare said: “It’s been a surreal morning – coming down the dock, your family and friends are waiting at the boat and that’s pretty emotional.

“Then you sail out of the marina down a canal lined by people and they don’t stop cheering.

“And in amongst that I can see Union Jacks and posters with my name on or hear people shouting.

“It’s a fantastic way to start this race.

“It’s a completely different experience to 2020 when I walked down the dock alone, not able to touch anyone because we were under Covid restrictions.

“Not being able to say goodbye properly when you’re going to be away for so long was really hard.

“So this was completely different and it was important to me to get that time to hug my family before I set off.”

Ms Hare said her goal for the day was to cross the start safely although she managed to position Medallia in fifth place shortly after the start.

She said: “I was nervous before the start – there are 40 racing boats and hundreds of team and spectator boats, so it’s full-on.

“Plus the light conditions make it really hard to get your timing right – too late and you get stuck at the back of the fleet, too quick and you’re over the line too early and get penalised.”

Ms Hare added: “It’s going to be a while before the wind fills in and there’s no choice but for me to be in the cockpit, hand-steering, watching that sail like a hawk, just keeping the boat moving.

“Here we go again – the Vendee Globe 2024. I’ve got the whole world ahead of me. This is going to be incredible.”

The Pip Hare Ocean Team has spent the past three years developing and preparing Medallia, which is capable of speeds in excess of 70kph, with the aim of completing the event, which started from Les Sables D’Olonne, France, in under 80 days.