|
|
Ellen: "Now is not the time to give up"
Jan 24, 2005 17: 25 EST
As predicted, Ellen has lost all her advantage and is currently 29 miles behind Joyon. She has 1 in 4 chance to make it now, says her home team, and must cross the finish line by 0704GMT on Wednesday, February 9.
Trying to stay positive, Ellen is using the time to tackle the jobs list, and check the boat over, to ensure that when she gets into stronger conditions north of the Equator, she will be as ready as she can be to take on the North Atlantic. To get back ahead of Joyon she must cross the Equator by 0835 GMT on Saturday, 29th January.
In two weeks time it will be all over - with or without a record
"I'm hanging in there, bearing in mind we'll be back in two weeks and if we're not back in two weeks, it doesn't matter anyway. So I've got to hang in there for two more weeks, that's the way I'm thinking and I'm trying to look after myself the best I can. I am exceptionally tired, I'm pretty exhausted and I'm fairly bruised. But just bearing in mind that in two weeks time it will be all over - with or without a record."
I'm not going to let go
"The record is defnitely within our sights - I'm not going to let go of that until the last second-hand ticks over, that's for sure. We've been working on this project for two years, I've now been at sea for over 50 days and now is not the time that I am going to throw my hands up in the air and give up, no way. We're level with Francis - we're not three days or five days behind him and we still have a chance. "
We've still got a very, very long way to sail
"But we only have a chance if the weather is kind to us - the next three days are going to be terrible, we won't cross the Equator until the 28th and until then we are going to be in pretty light conditions. Once we cross the Equator, we have to see if we get stuck in the Doldrums or not, and that's another question mark."
"We could get stuck there for 24 hours and, if that's the case, obviously we're in even more trouble. A lot of things can come into play and we've still got a very, very long way to sail - it would be wrong to say the record is definitely going to happen because there is no way that is the reality right now."
Ellen is on a winter attempt on the world record held by Francis Joyon: Round the World, non stop, singlehanded, 72d, 22h, 54m, 22s. She crossed the start line off Ushant at 08:10:44 GMT Sunday, November 28, 2004. She will have to cross the finish line by 07:04:06 GMT on February 9, 2005.
Ellen MacArthur shot to fame when she became the fastest solo woman to sail round-the-world in 2001’s Vendee Globe. Now she has her sight set on breaking the world solo speed record over the next two years in a brand new £1.5million trimaran designed by Nigel Irens. Named Castorama B&Q, after its sponsors, the 75 ft long triple-hulled boat is built for speed, said to reach over 35 knots.
Ellen is eyeing several records including the 24-hour distance record as well as making it round-the-world fastest. Typically, trimarans are fast boats, but trickier to handle in high winds. After last year’s dismasting on her catamaran Kingfisher 2 in the Jules Verne Challenge and everything it took to come this far, Ellen is thrilled to be on the water again.
Image of Ellen on the sat phone today © DPPI.
|
|
Feature Stories |
|
Latest News |
more news |
 |
Young sailor missing outside of Trinidad
Full Story
|
 |
Minoru Saito: Oldest around the world update
Full Story
|
 |
A new world speed sailing record: Ellen made it!
Full Story
|
 |
Vendee Globe 2005 Finish newsflash
Full Story
|
 |
Maud Fontenoy - another adventure has begun
Full Story
|
 |
Fedor Konyukhov: Declines Argos replacement on unassisted sail
Full Story
|
|
|
| Fedor - less than a week to go! Jun 3, 2005 | | Saito San - closing in on home and record! Jun 2, 2005 | | Atlantic Four: And they are off! Jun 1, 2005 | | Ollie - is anybody out there? May 31, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week in Review May 30, 2005 | | And they are off! May 27, 2005 | | Ellen gives transatlantic record a second battle May 27, 2005 | | Vagabond update - Polar bears, 200 candles and ice melting in Inglefieldbukta May 26, 2005 | | ExWeb interview - Atlantic Four: "It was all about persuading our wives" May 25, 2005 | | Iridium: "Invalid battery - matches found, 0" May 24, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
2004
BEST of EXPLORERSWEB
|
|
|
|
