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DAME ELLEN MACARTHUR |
| Ellen MacArthur first hit the headlines in 2001 after single-handedly racing non-stop around the world in the Vendee Globe at the young age of 24. Again in February 2005, Ellen grabbed the attention of the world's media when she set a new world record onboard her 75ft trimaran of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes & 33 seconds, becoming the fastest solo sailor around the planet until Francis Joyon broke her record in 2008. |
| Ellen's career in sailing began as a school girl when she saved her dinner money to buy her first boat. In 1995, she now owned a 21ft pocket cruiser & sailed single-handedly around Britain at the age of 18. It was this year that Ellen was named Young Sailor of the Year. |
| Ellen asked thousands of companies for sponsorship but received only two replies. Undaunted, she moved to France & promptly won the Mini-Transat race from Brest to Martinique. This brought her the funding to compete in the Route du Rhum, where she came home first in her class despite having a shattered running board. Ellen was acclaimed in the French press as 'la jeune espoire de la voile' - 'sailing's young hope'. They called her the greatest English sailor since Nelson. |
| It hasn't always been straight forward for Ellen. When skippering a 14-strong crew in the Jules Verne Trophy, Ellen was forced to withdraw when the mast broke but her spirit was undiminished; the next year she set a new solo non-stop round the world record. The journey had been completed only once in a multihull, in 73 days. She completed the course with a day to spare. |
| Ellen was awarded the MBE in the 2001 Queen's Birthday Honours List. |
For more information on Dame Ellen MacArthur, Contact Arena. Tel: 0113-239-2222 |