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 here’ll
be fireworks in France this November 5th!
The
spectacular start of the most formidable round the world yacht race
from Les Sables d’Olonne on the French west coast will attract
crowds to fill Wembley Stadium.
At the heart of the excitement there’ll be the youngest
ever competitor facing this ultimate challenge and we certainly have
something to celebrate because she’s British!
 You
may be forgiven for never having heard of Ellen MacArthur or
the Vendée Globe as her rise to fame has been meteoric and
this French organised “extreme” event is only held every four
years. It’s
single-handed and its tough, a yachting endurance test with no equal
and Ellen is only twenty-three years old and five feet three inches
tall.
Brought up in “land-locked” Derby from a non-sailing background,
Ellen was introduced to sailing by her aunt on holiday when she was
only four years old and the rest is an inspiring story against the
odds. Her unprivileged background just seemed to make her more
determined to achieve her young dreams and it is a legendary tale.
Ellen describes this in her typically modest way “I’m not a cool
racing person with the right designer gear!”
No, instead she saved her school dinner money for three years
to buy her first dinghy. It
was only eight feet long, but it was a start and Ellen often set
sail in her own back garden for hours, it was her first great sense
of achievement and she was on her way.
 Ellen
was hooked, as a teenager she spent all her spare time turning the
pages of sailing books and soaking up nautical knowledge like a
sponge. When Ellen left
school she didn’t have ambitions for a life ashore, her goal was
to get to sea. No
matter that the next few years meant a variety of homes with
dimensions of little more than those of a cupboard! A cramped living
space didn’t matter to her as long as the sea was outside.
Eventually Ellen swapped her portacabin in a shipyard for a
little sailing boat called “Iduna.” This time the boat’s cabin was so tiny Ellen could
hardly even sit up in it! In
fact “Iduna” was more than a home she was transport too and for
the next four months eighteen year old Ellen sailed single-handed
round Britain. This was
the foundation of her sensational career and Ellen received the
accolade of being the youngest person ever to pass the Yachtmaster
Offshore Qualification, in so doing she deservedly won the title of
“Young Sailor of the Year.”
=>Click here to continue the story<=
Photos:
The brand new "Kingfisher" Open 60 launched on 18th
February, 2000 in New Zealand for sea trials and qualification prior
to entry and skipper Ellen MacArthur.
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