NEW WORLD RECORD BY ELLEN MACARTHUR

ELLEN MACARTHUR
International Sailing Federation's Sailors of the Year 2005, 2001

FEB 7, 2005:
28 year old Ellen MacArthur has completed her single handed round-the-world voyage in a new world record time of 71 days 19 hours 18 min 33 sec. She broke the previous record set by Francis Joydon. She is to become a Dame.

MacArthur: " ... I feel absolutely exhausted but I'm elated to be here. It has been an unbelievable journey ... The whole voyage has been very draining, and there's a lot of things going round in my head. But it's great that I can finally switch my brain off and relax in the company of others which I've really missed ... I always believed I could break the record, and Francis agreed it was breakable. But I really didn't think I would do it at the first attempt."

Joydon: "... I thought my record could be broken but I never imagined that Ellen would beat it ... I did not think it would be Ellen beating me so soon, and so magnificently"

PREVIOUS RECORD:

• FRANCIS JOYDON (FRA) - 90ft TRIMARAN
  48 year old Frenchman set a new world record for solo round the world sailing in 2004. He also became the first sailor to complete non-stop solo round the world in a multihull boat.
  YACHT: 90ft trimaran IDEC
  TIME: 72 days, 22 hours and 22 seconds.
• Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) won 2001 Vendee Globe in 52 days
• PREVIOUS MULTIHULL RECORD ATTEMPTS:
• 1989, Olivier de Kersauson - failed to finish
• 1987, Philippe Monnet - failed to finish
• 1974, Alain Colas - failed to finish
• 1969, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston - the first sailor to complete solo circumnavigation of globe

NEW WORLD RECORD (NOV 2004 - FEB 2005)

ELLEN MACARTHUR (UK) - 75ft TRIMARAN

• 28 year old English yachtswoman started Nov 28, 2004; she finished back in France (Ushant) on Feb 7, 2005 (2230 GMT) to break the previous world record by more than 1 day.
• PROGRESS:
• Nov 28, 2004: start
• after 8 days 18 hours: new record for English Channel to the equator
• after 19 days 9 hours 46 min: new record for English Channel to the Cape of Good Hope.
• Christmas 2004: off the coast of Australia; ahead of world record by about 20 hours
• Feb 5, 2005: off the coast of Spain, she is ahead of world record by about 2 days 3 and 3 hours
• Feb 7, 2005: finish ahead of world record by over 1 day 2 hours
  **** new world record: 71 days 19 hrs 18 min 33 sec ***

YACHT:

• 75ft trimaran B&Q
  Length: 22.9m (75ft)
  Width: 16.2m (53ft)
  Weight: 8 tonnes
  Mast height: 30m (100ft)
  Sail area: Main 160sq m: Genoa 106 sq m: Large gennaker 213 sq m

RECORDS:

• She is attempting to break several solo speed sailing records:
  24-hour distance mark record
  Trans-Atlantic record
  Solo non-stop round the world record

ROUTE:

• approx 26,000 miles
• START (England's Lizard Point / Ushant France) - south to Doldrums equator - south to Cape of Good Hope (South Africa) - start of Southern Ocean (15000 miles) - east to Cape Leeuwin (West Australia) - Cape Horn (South America) end of Southern Ocean - north up the East coast of South America - Doldrums equator - north to FINISH Ushant France.

ELLEN MACARTHUR BIO / CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

• DATE OF BIRTH: 8 July, 1976, Derbyshire, England
• 1995: (age 18) solo round the Britain; 21 foot yacht Iduna.
• 1995: British Young Sailor of the Year; the youngest person to pass the Yachtmaster Offshore Qualification
• 1998: wins Route du Rhum, Open 50 class
• 1999: BT/JYA Yachtsman of the Year
• 2000: wins Europe1 New Man STAR solo transatlantic race (monohull class)
• 2001: 2nd in Vendee Globe; Open 60 boat Kingfisher; 94 days 8 hr 22 min; youngest person to solo sail around the world; the fastest woman to solo sail around the world
• 2001: FICO world offshore champion; International Sailing Federation's sailors of the year
• 2002: wins Route du Rhum; Open 60 boat Kingfisher
• 2002: Awarded MBE
• 2003: Jules Verne round-the-world record attempt with Kingfisher 2 - failed with broken mast
• 2005: completes fastest solo non-stop round the world (trimaran B&Q) - new world record
• 2005: International Sailing Federation's Sailors of the Year - "I was fortunate enough to have received this Award in 2001 and it is as much of a surprise and honour to me now as it was back then,"