Liz Wardley, a great surprise
Liz Wardley is not that well known by the general public, but it is quite a different story on the pontoons and out at sea. In La Trinité-sur-Mer and in Port-la-Forêt where she finally settled ten years ago, the small circle of sailors have long since appreciated this little lady with a big smile. A joy that was born on the other side of the world in Papua New Guinea 32 years ago… she is above all an amazing sailor. World Hobie Cat vice champion in 1998, Liz has had successes in the Mini 6.50 circuit and has competed five times in the Figaro… and she was not at the bottom of the rankings. In 2007 for example, she made it to the top twenty finishing seventeenth, just after grabbing a fantastic fourth place in the BPE solo transatlantic race between Belle-île and Marie Galante alongside some of the top names in the circuit: Nicolas Troussel, Thomas Rouxel, Charles Caudrelier, Bertrand de Broc...
Let there be no mistake. Whilst her decision to take part in the Vendée Globe comes as a nice surprise (including for her, as she was originally looking for a partner to cross the Atlantic in a dug-out canoe) Liz is not in it just to take part. She knows how to get by sailing solo and has shown her sailing skills on many occasions, particularly when her boat was dismasted in the Solitaire, as she coped magnificently well with the problem.
On top of that the Southern Ocean is not unknown to her. First of all because she was born there, but also because she has already sailed around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race (in 2002) with Lisa Mac Donald’s American crew. Liz showed off her talent too in the Sydney-Hobart and in the one-design Solocéans voyage halfway around the world, among other events. For all these reasons, the Vendée Globe is pleased to welcome a charming new ambassador. With Liz Wardley and Sam Davies, the ladies are going to have their say.
