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Ellen lost record by only 1 hour and 18 miles
Jun 28, 2004 22: 11 EST
After a battle lasting 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes and 2925 miles - Ellen lost her transatlantic record by only 1 hour and 18 miles 15 minutes ago. The race has been grueling to put it mildly.
"All the time in the back of your mind is the fact that one mistake and the consequences could be really bad. On the monohull, you can make some mistakes, the boat can get laid flat and you have a good chance of coming out of ok. That margin doesn't exist on the trimaran. That makes for a stressful time 24/7. Physically, as expected, maneuvers are tough. Re-hoisting the mainsail for example is a 35 minute full on, exhausting grind."
In order to keep to a consistent and productive rhythm the sailor must manage her sleep efficiently and be aware of when she is becoming sleep deprived. Over several years Ellen has been a student of Dr. Claudio Stampi of the Chronobiology Research institute associated with Harvard University, bringing Ellen's average sleep down to just over 3 hours every 24 on her test runs, an ability to take short naps to recharge her energy.
Yesterday Ellen reported; ”I feel *****. Really tired. last night was terrible. I can’t even remember what we talked about this morning.” But not much chance of rest...”Pretty hard to get rest when you’ve got the gennaker up...definitely going to snooze...not going to make it through tomorrow if I don’t.”
And then, this morning: “It’s going to be very, very tight there is no doubt about it. The wind instruments went completely haywire which meant the autopilots steering the boat lost control...it was a scary moment,” this just hours before reaching the busy shipping lines near the finish.
She averaged less than 2 hours sleep per day for the last 6 days bringing on her very first hallucination and had only eaten 3 hot meals since leaving New York. “I was pretty close to my very first hallucination last night...I slept in the cuddy and then woke up in a start, didn't really know where I was but checked around the cockpit and then I could see there was a ship in the distance. As I got closer I could see her lights and I was convinced it was another competitor who then told me the ship was a first aid ship sailing with him and I am thinking he can't do that, you can't take a ship with you across the Atlantic! It took me a few minutes to realize I was imagining the whole thing.”
In south south westerly winds, gusting 20-25 knots, Ellen MacArthur, skipper of the 75-foot trimaran B&Q, crossed the start line in New York Harbor at 11:22 pm on June 22 - seven days ago - to begin her first west-east transatlantic solo speed sailing record attempt from Ambrose LightHouse off New York to Lizard Point off the south-west coast of England. Ellen and the B&Q trimaran needed to cross the finish line off Lizard Point by 12:34:42am GMT on Tuesday 29th June 2004 to secure a new record for this distance.
The current record stands at just 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes, 42 seconds set by Frenchman Laurent Bourgnon in June 1994 on board his 60-foot trimaran, Primagaz.
"Though physically demanding, she is a joy to sail, and I really am very pleased with how she performs in various conditions and under pilot. In big waves she is unbelievable - skimming over them, haring down them - seemingly never sticking her leeward float in and stopping. She is showing everyday what an amazing boat the team has built," Ellen said.
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.
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| 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 |
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