Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur From Derby

Recognized as one of the most famous solo long distance yachtswoman, born on July 8^th 1976, Dame Ellen MacArthur from Derby, England acquired her passion for sailing at a very young age.

BBC says:  “For most people living in Derbyshire, Ellen MacArthur needs no introduction - she's been an inspirational personality for thousands of people around the world.”

It was never Ellen’s original idea to sail, as she had always dreamed of being a vet as she loved animal. Unfortunately, she contracted glandular fever during at high school and wasn’t able to fulfil this dream. Instead she decided to take up sailing and the rest is history.

Ellen first wanted to be like her idol Sophie Burke at her time and then started to read Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons book series. MacArthur’s first sailing experience was when she was only eight years old on her Aunt Thea MacArthur’s boat on the East Coast of England. Ellen bought her first boat Therep’ny Bit with the proceeds gained from saving up her school lunch money.

Ellen MacArthurs Boat - Kingfisher

In 1998 the British Telecom/Royal Yachting Association named MacArthur "Yachtsman of The Year" in the UK and "Sailing's Young Hope" in France. The Asteroid 20043 Ellen MacArthur is named after the determined sailor. Ellen sailed into the record books with her round the world adventure in June 2000.  She sailed in a monohull, which is a type of vessel with one hull. Ellen sailed to Newport in the USA in a recoding breaking 14 days 23 hours and 11 minutes.  She single handedly sailed out in her boat Kingfisher, from Plymouth in England and right into the record books.

World Record Breaker

She also broke the record for a single handed woman to have even sailed any vessel at all! Because she never gave up, she has gotten acknowledgement through receiving one of the most honorable sports awards. She was voted second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001; this was an incredible achievement, considering the awards are usually dominated by more mainstream sports.

She officially kicked off her racing career in 2001 when she competed in the Vendee Globe round-the-world sailing race in her boat, the Kingfisher and came in second place. Here is how she described it “On the Vendee, I had a picture book of the Derbyshire countryside with all sorts of photos - from Matlock Bath and parts of the Peak District.” Ellen’s boyfriend Ian Mackay, as she said was older than her. She says he sailed with her as a part of her team. He also designed her website so that she could stay in touch with the world during the time she was in the Vendee Globe.

In January 2004, the B&Q/Castorama was especially created for Ellen to perform her solos with. She began her attempt to break the record for solo circumnavigation around the world in November 28^th, 2004 and finally beat the previous record by 1 day, 8 hours and 35 minutes, returning on February 7^th, 2005 after 71 days, 14 hours and 18 minutes! This was the kind of victory which nobody imagined Ellen to ever achieve. But this race was not at all easy, she had at most about twenty minutes of sleep at a time because she constantly had to look out ahead of her each day and night of the voyage. Her difficulties were definitely rewarded, she is known as only the second Briton to have finished the race in its 16-year history!

Ellen MacArthur's Books

Aside from Ellen MacArthur’s sailing career, she also published an autobiography in 2002 entitled Taking on the World. ‘The Observer’ describes her as:

“The first true heroine of the twenty-first century.”

She published yet another autobiography in 2010 entitled Full Circle, including details of her life around the world. Ellen MacArthur’s journeys inspired a sci-fi television show to base an episode on her using a MacArthur like character who traveled around the ‘galaxy’. MacArthur was also the last record holder on Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car on the BBC's Top Gear television driving program until the eighth series, when the car and rules were changed, and previous records were removed.  The objective of the competition was to achieve the best time around the Suzuki Liana racetrack which she managed in 1 minute 46.7 seconds, she beat the previous record holder by one fifth of a second.

Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust

Ellen has won many prestigious awards to her name, but she also took part in a special project close to her heart. She started the ‘Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’ with the inspiring motto: ‘rebuilding young people’s confidence’, to help young cancer patients regain their confidence by sailing, going on their way to recovering from their illnesses.

Ellen has said that; “These cancer patients are far braver than anyone can ever imagine”. Ellen states that, these kids have the same interests and goals as other children. The only thing that differentiates them from other children is that they have to continue their lives knowing that they have a huge challenge ahead of them. They are able to battle something this difficult with smiles on their faces, if this isn’t inspirational, than what is? She wishes that the ‘Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’ can help them in their battle. In 2008 Ellen teamed together with other sports celebrities and raised a total of £4 million in order to help children get their own sleeping units so their families could stay with them.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

After retiring from sailing, in 2010 she launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to promote sustainability. The Foundation’s key objectives and hopes are to provide a framework for change through inspirational content, education programs and communication. She expects younger people to redesign and rethink aspects of the future. The Foundation works primarily in education for 14 -19 years Higher Education and investigates the opportunities for young people in a future sustainable economy. Nowadays Ellen has now wet up home on the Isle of White and has started a business called ‘Offshore Challenges’. When she is asked the question no longer being a professional sailor, she says:

"People often ask if I miss the sea. Sure I do - but when I'm at sea I always miss the fields and farms so I think I take Derbyshire a little bit less for granted than I might otherwise do."