Sailor in the Spotlight Interview - Dame Ellen MacArthur

At 28 years old, Ellen MacArthur became the fastest person to sail solo around the world. Suddenly, the playing field became a lot more even. While the record was later reclaimed by Francis Joyon, the fact remained: The little lady from Derbyshire had proven that the Southern Oceans route was no longer a boy's club, and solo yacht racing will never be the same.

To say Dame Ellen MacArthur is competitive and loves sailing would be understating the facts considerably. She is a consummate competitor with salt water coursing through her veins, who spends the great portion of her time on the water. “I'll sail anything. Old dinghy, new dinghy, old cruising boats, new racing boats. I just love boats. I just love being on the water,” she said.

Dame Ellen lends her name, fame, and often the sweat from her brow to a number of causes. From children, to dogs, to the environment, it seems Ellen MacArthur never backs down from those who seek her help, and applies the same drive to her charities as she does to her races. The fastest woman 'round is also one of the kindest people in the world of sports, and it is our honor to feature the can-do Dame with the heart of gold as this week's Sailor in the Spotlight.

We caught up with Dame Ellen MacArthur at home in the UK.

 

YP: So first off Ellen, we like to highlight the charities our YachtPals support, and I know you have many causes that are important to you. Is the Ellen MacArthur Trust the most important to you?

Ellen: It's by far the main, yeah. We started just five years ago. I'd been sailing in France, with a similar charity, that took children sailing who suffered from cancer and leukemia. The experience was just absolutely extraordinary. I was totally in awe of the kids.

Before going on the boat I was really nervous about how to react to the kids, how to be with the kids - they were obviously all going through something horrendous. Within two minutes of being on the boat you're totally put at ease. You realize that they are just really normal kids, going through a difficult time in their lives. I went back and sailed several times in France with them, and was really inspired by them. So five years ago I decided to set up the same thing here, which basically takes kids sailing on four day trips - kids who are suffering from cancer and leukemia.

These are kids from 8 to 18 years old. They've all, you know, had to come out of school. They're all struggling with an illness, or with coming through an illness. Some are still undergoing treatment when they come, some are about to go in for more treatment, and I think that the biggest that they lose is their 'normal life' aspect to their life. You know, they're not with their school friends anymore, they're not in school anymore. They are kids that are facing really difficult challenges, in a world where no one really understands them.

I think the biggest thing we can do is take them on a boat; they LIVE on the boat for four days, so it's a total immersion in the sport - and in being away, they get treated normally. So they look after the boat, they do the washing up, they help moor the boat, drive the boat, help pull the sails up and down. It's really fantastic for them.

 

YP: Speaking of kids, I hear you got started sailing when you where pretty young.

Ellen: I was four when I sailed for the first time with Auntie Thea.

 

 

YP: Growing up so far from the sea [Ellen was born in Derbyshire], it must have been difficult to get in many sea hours. How did you get to the water - did your Aunt live near the sea?

Ellen: Auntie Thea lived just outside London. She had a small boat that we used to sail every summer. Every year the family holiday was going to sea for about a week, or two weeks. This was on a boat that was really designed for, I don't know, like three people probably - it's call a Halcyon 27. And actually we used to take seven, and the dog. It was quite interesting, [laughing] but we loved it - it was fantastic. Great holidays, amazing experience, it was just really, really good.

 

YP: Were you involved in other sports as a kid?

Ellen: I used to do cross country running. I used to go off with the school, sometimes on a Saturdays. Go off and do different events in Derbyshire, which is the area which I grew up. Mainly running really, running was my favorite thing. I did other sports at school like everyone else, but running was the thing I loved.

 

YP: What sailing accomplishment was the first that was important to you? Was it sailing single-handed round Britain for the first time?

Ellen: Sailing round Britain was really important from a sailing perspective, and a confidence building perspective, because I went out and did something in a very small boat; that was a difficult task. I mean, generally it's the rocks that sink the boats, it's the shoreline, it's not the sea, so to take such a small boat round the country was HARD. It's really only when you finish that you realize just how hard something like that is.

But from a racing perspective, it was probably winning the solo transatlantic race in 2000. It was the first race I'd ever done in a [Open] 60 - it was the first race I'd done in a big boat on my own - well in an Open 60 on my own - and we won! So I think that certainly made a big difference in my career.

 

YP: So I heard that when you finished sailing round Britain for the first time, you went seeking sponsorship, and had major trouble finding funds for your next sailing venture. Is it true you sent out 2,500 letters to potential sponsors, and only received two replies?

Ellen: Yep, that was when I was trying to raise funds for the Mini Transat. Yeah, it's part of it you know - you've got to work for it, else you don't appreciate it. And we really had to work [laughing], that's for sure.

 

YP: Do you have any advice for sailors like Steve White who are currently facing the same "lack of funds" problem you had at the beginning of your career?

Ellen: We all go through it. You know, with the Mini Transat, it was done on debt, and borrowing money, and finding small sponsors - but you know, you couldn't find a sponsor to fund the whole thing. In the Route du Rhum [solo transatlantic yacht race] in 1998, we took some MASSIVE risks to make the project happen when the funding wasn't in place. You know, you have to really put everything on the line, I mean we certainly had to put everything on the line.

I remember using the money that I had inherited from my Nan [Grandmother] - that I didn't know I had. I knew one day that I had it, and the next day I'd spent it on the entrance fee for a race - and I didn't even have a boat for the race, and this was about two months before the start of the race. So, I knew that if I didn't put the entrance fee in, I couldn't actually EVER have a chance of doing the race.

Sometimes you have to do things that - I don't know - make a stand for the future. I did that without even thinking, but reflecting on it, it was quite a big thing to do.

 

YP: So, do you still sail for fun, or are you always training and competing?

Ellen: No, absolutely. I love it. I was sailing on Wednesday with the [Ellen MacArthur] Trust. We went from Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight down to Newtown Creek. And I was racing out in Sweden about three weeks ago doing the Archipelago Raid, and although that was work and sponsorship, it was also for fun, because we had a fantastic time. Really hard race though, very full on, no sleep, very physical, really really amazing.

 

YP: How did you you like sailing that little Formula 18 catamaran, after sailing the big boats you normally race?

Ellen: I've done bits and pieces in little boats before, so it wasn't such a shock to be on a small boat. But I think the hardest part with the [Archipelago] Raid is it's 6 days, 5 nights full on, and you don't really get a break in that time. One thing that you tend not to realize, until after, is the number of miles you cover. We did about 600 miles over five and a half days. That's a huge number of miles every day, and in a little catamaran. So you're on the water fifteen/eighteen hours a day sometimes, and that's quite draining. So, not only is it hard because you're concentrating and racing, close racing, all the time as well, they're always other boats with you, but then at the same time you're actually on the water fifteen or eighteen hours a day, so it's ten times more than most people would do if they were racing that type of boat I suppose.

 

YP: So I'm getting that you like a big challenge. Do you get more satisfaction from harder challenges?

Ellen: I think the harder the challenge, the more you get out of it. That's for sure. You know, you work hard, and ultimately if you're successful it means more to you, I think. If everything comes to you on a plate, and it's not difficult, then I don't think it has the same effect on you as a person.

 

YP: I notice you've been sailing with a crew lately. Do you prefer this to sailing solo?

Ellen: I love both, to be honest. I just love being on the water. They are two different dynamics, but I love both, totally.

 

 

YP: What qualities do you look for in a crew member?

Ellen: I look for someone who is a nice person. Someone who I warm to. Just because the best sailor in the world is the best sailor in the world, if I didn't like them as a person, or if I didn't warm to them as a person, I would never go into a race with them. In any race you have to work with that person, you ultimately want to bond in some way with that person.

I also think determination is absolutely crucial. The passion never to give up. A sense of humor is pretty important as well.

 

YP: What is your biggest pet peeve among your crew members?

Ellen: If something I could remember did drive me nuts, I wouldn't tell people for a start [laughing], 'cause that's not the kind of person I am. No, no, nothing really. We've all gotten along really, really well.

 

YP: You've had some tough times on boats with your crews. I read about your trouble when Foncia capsized off Brazil. What do you say to yourself, to keep yourself going when times are tough?

Ellen: Well, you start to say, 'You'll finish'. That's the most important thing. You know, you choose to do it, you want to do it, you want to be out there. You know exactly why you're out there, so you get on with it. And you always try to see to the other side of a problem, to see the solution.

 

YP: Good advice. What do you think is the secret to your success?

Ellen: Probably that I'm pretty focused as an individual. Definitely. When I'm going for it, I'm going for it, and that's how it is.

 

YP: What is the biggest misconception about you? What would surprise us about the real Ellen MacArthur?

Ellen: I think the most common thing that people say to me when they meet me is... Well,there's two things. One is 'you're small' [laughing]. Everyone thinks I'm some huge person, but actually I'm quite small [5'2"]. And the other thing is, they say I'm so normal. I mean: Obviously if people say that they think you're normal, it is because they assumed that you weren't. I'd say that's the biggest thing. People think you're some different person that they can't identify with, but I'm just a normal person, just do a slightly different job.

 

YP: When you have a rare day off, what is your favorite way to relax?

Ellen: I like being near the water. I like lecturing, sports, and also walking the dogs - that's something I love, being with animals.

 

YP: What do you think makes you different from people who dream of sailing around the world but never do it?

Ellen: Doing it. Anybody can do it. It's not going to be easy, but just do it. That's all it is!

 

YP: What are your dreams for the future?

Ellen: To keep learning. I love learning. And, I'm really passionate about the environment. If I can incorporate sailing, with learning, and the environment, I think that would certainly be where I'd like to see myself.

I've learning a lot from being at sea, and from being out on the boats, from going to amazing places on this earth, and I feel that preserving what we have is something pretty important. I think we're missing a lot, and we need to be more careful. So communicating that is something really close to my heart.

 

YP: Mine as well. So, will you be trying to break the solo round-the-world record again and reclaim the title from Joyon?

Ellen: Possibly. I'm reflecting on it at the moment. I've got a bit of time yet, 'cause Francis [Joyon] was - was he 57 when he broke the record? I'm only 31. I've got years yet.

YP: Even at 31, you are already a sailing hero to so many. Who are your sailing heroes?

Ellen: The kids that I sail with at the [Ellen MacArthur] Trust. They're incredible. They are a true inspiration.

You know, if you choose to do a sailing event, and you go out there - you know, you're out there because you choose it. If it gets hard, you've chosen it. There are some amazingly talented sailors out there. But when you see those kids... They haven't chosen to be ill, and they go through it with smiles on their faces. I think that's truly inspirational.

 

 

 

-- Ellen MacArthur Timeline --

• 1976: Ellen MacArthur born on July 8th in Derbyshire, England.
• 1980: Ellen began sailing with her Aunt Thea on ‘Cabaret’. Much of her spare time was spent reading sailing books.
• 1984: Started saving school dinner money at the age of eight to buy her first boat.
• 1989: Ellen buys her first dinghy at age 13 ‘Threepenny Bit’.
• 1991: Ellen buys 'Kestrel' her first keelboat at age 15.
• 1994: At the young age of 18, Ellen MacArthur achieved her RYA Yachtmaster and Instructor’s ticket, and began working on an Open 60 yacht and teaching sailing to adults at the David King Nautical School in Hull.
• 1995: Ellen MacArthur sails around Britain alone on her 21 foot Corribee sailboat ‘Iduna’, and becomes the youngest person to pass the Yachtmaster Offshore Qualification. BT/YJA Young Sailor of Year award.
• 1996: First transatlantic passage leaving Newport, Rhode Island (USA) on Ellen’s 20th birthday. Ellen MacArthur places first in class in her first transatlantic race, the Quebec-St Malo.
• 1997: Ellen MacArthur completes Mini Transat solo transatlantic race on Le Poisson (17th).
• 1998: Ellen finishes first in the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race from St Malo to Guadeloupe on board the Open 50 monohull ‘Kingfisher’ (20 days, 11 hours, 44 mins, 49 secs).
• 1999: Ellen MacArthur places first in Round Europe race on board Open 60ft ‘Aquitaine Innovations’ with co-skipper Yves Parlier. Ellen MacArthur named Yachtsman of the Year.
• 2000: 1st Europe1 New Man STAR transatlantic race. Ellen MacArthur wins transatlantic race, her first time racing an Open 60 yacht.
• 2001: Ellen MacArthur finishes 2nd in the Vendee Globe solo around-the-world race on the Open 60 yacht Kingfisher. Named BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
• 2002: Ellen MacArthur wins Route du Rhum in record time. Awarded MBE.
• 2003: Jules Verne round-the-world record bid fails when mast breaks on Kingfisher 2 (a catamaran formerly owned by Steve Fossett and known as ´Orange`).
• 2004: Ellen misses out on west-east transatlantic record by just 75 minutes on new trimaran B&Q.
• 2005: Ellen MacArthur, the second person ever to sail solo non-stop around the world on a multi-hull boat, breaks Francis Joyon's solo round-the-world record! Ellen completed the 27,000-mile voyage in 71 days and under 15 hours. New SNSM (St Nazaire to St Malo) crewed maxi record set on board B&Q, 1 Day, 3 hours and 23 minutes. 2nd Transat Jacques Vabre 2005 with Roland Jourdain on board Open 60 Sill et Veolia. Ellen is listed in Time magazine 100 Heroes & Icons. Ellen MacArthur becomes Dame Ellen MacArthur. The Queen congratulates her saying of her journey "your progress has been followed by many people in Britain and throughout the world, who have been impressed by your courage, skill and stamina".
• 2007: Line honours in JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race in new high-tech Extreme 40 catamaran. Ellen MacArthur completing the course in 4 hours 6 minutes 3 seconds.
• 2008: Dame Ellen MacArthur awarded France's highest decoration, the Légion d'Honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

 

 

 

- Kim Hampton for YachtPals

 

 

Read More Sailor in the Spotlight Interviews

• Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
• Kenichi Horie
• Sam Davies
• Lin and Larry Pardey
• Loick Peyron
• Dee Caffari
• and more

 

 

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