Personal Blog of Ellen MacArthur

Emotion, hope and silence is what I feel on the pontoons this morning. Not one person is raising their voice no one laughing… It’s only the cheering of the public which breaks that quietness as the skippers emerge from their final minutes of time on land.

The moment they step onto that walkway from the damp gravelly dockside will, they will hope, be their last second on land until next year.. and ironically if they make it their feet will touch that same identical spot, that same walkway from that same pontoon after over 80 days at sea…. I have done this twice now - once eight years ago when I took part myself and 4 years ago when I came to see the other boats off - and even for me hearing the noises, watching the expressions it’s hard to get my head around what is happening.

Each person watching is in awe. In awe as these 30 people will head to the bottom of the earth and back, solo, non stop… the realisation that their last moments of complete rest have passed until next year as their journey begins - though for some - they will not make it. All have hope, all will feel fear…even if, like me it’s stepping back into life at the finish.

Ellen

Here I am in Sables d’Olonne. I was here four years ago and at that time I was on standby for my round the world record attempt and four years before that I was here to actually take part in the race and that was an incredible experience in my life…

To do that at just 24 and see thousands and thousands of people here to see you off was just amazing. To come back after both those experiences almost as an observer is extraordinary - just to see the skippers and talk to them and know exactly what they are going to go out there and do is quite incredible.

I’ve got a lot of faith in Seb, we know he has a great boat, that we built in Cowes in the UK, he is a great sailor and has so many round the world’s under his belt and he really wants to take part in this race. When you look at all the different pieces that go into the Vendée, really wanting to be there on the start line is the element that plays a very, very important part in your result.

Thirty new boats is extraordinary and 20 new boats is even more extraordinary and there are even more nationalities than we’ve ever seen in the race, there are incredible projects, great competitors from all different kinds of sailing… You have Loick Peyron who completed the first Vendée Globe in 1989 and he’s back here again; you have the guys who have been racing Figaros for 5 years or more and have now moved into the IMOCA 60 class. You have all manner of sailors - ocean sailors, round the can sailors - and it’s going to be interesting to see who comes out on top…

Ellen