Personal Blog of Ellen MacArthur

Hi Everyone!

I couldn’t let the end of 2009 slip by without looking back on what has been an incredible year!

BT Team Ellen has had highs and lows - success in the Fastnet, the Round the Island Race, the Artemis Challenge, the iShares Cup and of course the sad ending to the Transat Jacques Vabre but overall we managed to build up a team - both on and off the water - that we are all proud of.

Seb, Nick and I joined Nathalie Queré from BT for a very emotional get together earlier this month at the World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco and it was wonderful to look back on a fantastic three years.

The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery was a wonderful experience for everyone involved so I would like to say a big, big thanks to all the team at the Ellen MacArthur Trust - Frank, Jo, Tracy and Simon - for such an incredible trip and many memories that we will treasure.

2010 already looks set to be an exciting year and we are now busy setting up the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to work on sustainability…but more on that next year!

In the meantime, I would like to send you all my best wishes for a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2010!

Ellen

Hi Everyone, I have to say I have been really overwhelmed by the reaction to my Desert Island Discs interview! Thanks so much to all of you who have sent in messages of support and also for your useful advice about what I might be able to do and what I could do better. I apologise for not being able to answer all of them individually but I can assure you that I will be taking your thoughts onboard. Please keep those suggestions coming in and I will certainly keep you updated with my progress.  Ellen

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that you will be able to hear me talking to Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 tomorrow at 11.15. If you miss it, the programme will also be repeated the following Friday morning at 9 a.m.

You can go to this link for more details: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr

I hope you enjoy listening and would love to hear your feedback

Thanks

Ellen

What an amazing day! The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery is officially over but what an incredible voyage it has been…

Here’s a reminder of what the last five months have all been about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XZfFCEL8no

A massive thank you to all of you who have been involved - you are very special!

Ellen

We have just had the amazing news that my BT Team Ellen teammate Seb Josse and co-skipper Jean-François Cuzon have won their class in the Fastnet Race. I am so happy for them! Last week we had a good result onboard the BT IMOCA 60 in a wind-less Artemis Challenge during Cowes Week - winning an amazing £10,000 for the Ellen MacArthur Trust! - and I could see then that Seb was highly focused and that he meant business. This is a really great achievement for them, particularly as they were battling fully-crewed boats and will stand them in good stead for the next big race - the Transat Jacques Vabre in November

Ellen