ELLEN MACARTHUR
There would
be nothing
remarkable
in Derbyshire
producing
a Hill Walker
of the Year
or even a
Potholer of
the Year.
But for this
landlocked
county to
produce Yachtsman
of the Year,
and for that
award to go
to a 22 year
old, slip
of a girl
from Whatstandwell,
is nothing
short of a
miracle.
Ellen MacArthur
hit the headlines
in 2001 after
single handedly
sailing around
the world,
in the Vendee
Globe yacht
race which
began on 5th
November 2000.
Thousands
followed Ellen's
progress on
the internet,
with messages
and digital
pictures sent
via satellite
from the on
- board computer
updated every
hour. Her
progress was
closely followed
in the British
Media and
her return
was front
page news.
Exhausting
racing conditions
meant sleeping
in 10 minute
snatches,
a survival
suit that
doesn’t
come off for
a week at
a time and
hands and
wrists covered
in salt sores
and cuts.
Despite her
achievements,
Ellen doesn't
come from
any yachting
club or 'Howard's
Way' culture
and has not
risen through
the ranks
of the sailing
elite. As
she cheerfully
puts it "I'm
not a cool
racing person
with the right
designer gear".
Her great
grandparents
came from
Skye and were
boating people
and a great
uncle ran
away to sea
when he was
young, but
any real connection
with the sea
is tenuous.
When Ellen
was eight,
an aunt took
her sailing
on the east
coast, after
which she
was hooked.
At school
she was "a
geek",
saving her
money for
three years
for an eight
foot dinghy
and spending
all her time
in the library
reading sailing
books. A bout
of glandular
fever in 6th
form set her
back from
becoming a
vet, so she
resolved to
be a professional
sailor.
So, at 18,
she sailed
single handed
round Britain
and won the
Young Sailor
of the Year
award for
being the
youngest person
to pass the
Yachtsman
Offshore Qualification
with highest
possible marks.
The nautical
establishment
looked on
benignly at
"Little
Ellen",
just 5'2"
tall, and
metaphorically
patted her
on the head.
She wrote
2,500 letters
to potential
sponsors,
and received
only 2 replies.
She was looked
at in a new
light when
she undertook
the Mini Transat
solo race
from Brest
in France
to Martinique
in the French
Caribbean
in 1997. With
little money
she went to
France, bought
a 21ft yacht,
learned French
and refitted
the boat on
site. She
then sailed
2,700 miles
across the
Atlantic,
completing
in 33 days.
This brought
her first
major sponsorship
from Kingsfisher
plc who provided
a 50ft boat
for the Route
du Rhum transatlantic
race in 1999,
winning her
class and
finishing
fifth overall
in the monohulls.
Before becoming
a household
name in Britain,
Ellen became
a heroine
in France,
where she
has been named
'La Jeune
Espoire de
la Voile'
(Sailing's
Young Hope),
where thousands
flock to the
quayside to
see her off
in a race.
There isn't
an ounce of
vanity in
Ellen and
is a tireless
ambassador
for her sport.
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