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Ellen: Working the generator and an e-mail from the boat
Dec 14, 2004 11: 51 EST
Ellen's roller coaster ride has calmed down a bit. Major technical problems still threaten her attempt, she is battling the generator, but stuff is looking up. Ellen even sent over an e-mail today:
...and I did it.
"The motto for today is 'SLEEP MORE - SUFFER LESS'. I tried to engrave this on my brain last night, and try with all my energy to sleep - easier said than done sometimes - but, hey, we have to try... just as it went dark I called into the weather routers and said "I'll be sailing for the next few hours under solent and full main, I don't care what the wind does, or where the wind takes me - I'll call you in 3 hours", and I did.
Everything now seems almost surreal
"I stripped off, jumped into a warm sleeping bag in my bunk for the first time, and though just for two hours, I slept. Conditions were thankfully quite calm last night, and we spent a great deal of time sailing into a high pressure system. After the horrors of the previous 36 hours upwind in over 30 knots and a mountainous sea - everything now seems almost surreal.
Almost homely
This morning I was woken from my bean bag (you see the bunk couldn't last that long!) to four beautiful albatross circling behind B&Q. The first I've seen on this trip, and as beautiful and magnificent as ever. Not only that, but for the first time I'm finding myself feeling a bit more at home on B&Q.
This morning after the albatross I couldn't sleep so I did some sorting, found places to stow things that had previously been badly stowed in bags, put up a few pictures in the cabin that had been stowed away in a box. You know, almost homely things.
Things are under control
"On top of all this, the wind has filled in and we have a relatively flat sea. We're charging ahead with genoa full main, and on our starboard side, I can see the beautiful island of Tristan Da Cuhna... The sky is grey but I like that...I almost prefer it to the beating sun of the equator. But that will all change soon I'm sure. This morning Ellen has found herself again...not only that but she has rediscovered the magic of being out here. The trials and tribulations of the last few days seem miles away. Things are under control, and we're heading SOUTH!!
ellen
xx
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.
Web cam image of Ellen working the generator © DPPI.
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