Personal Blog of Ellen MacArthur

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

Ellen in library at Anthony Gell School where she read about sailing as a child

I went back to school recently…literally!…with an impromptu visit to my old school, Anthony Gell in Wirksworth. It is now a specialist sports college and it was great to reminisce about the old days with Headteacher David Baker. I also went back to the school library to have a look at the books that I borrowed while I was there and which inspired me to sail! (see photo)

I also had the opportunity to go to another really interesting school in the area, Herbert Strutt Primary School in Belper.

18 months ago, the school moved from an old building in the centre of Belper to a new build on a brand site. Everyone, from Headteacher John Murday to the teachers and pupils alike, appears to have a real sense of pride in what is a very nice-looking building which has been designed to be as energy efficient as possible. In talking with the Head John, some of the key sustainable elements that have worked well are rain-water harvesting for loos, PV cells for lighting, bore holes for heating and hot water and effective double glazing.

However, the final element of the jigsaw needed to get the school to a carbon neutral position is a 25m wind turbine – and the school has had difficulties getting planning permission for this for the last two years. 

I have to say I really enjoyed these visits and it was really heartwarming to see two schools with inspirational heads who are working hard to motivate and to look after their pupils.

Ellen

I had a great day yesterday at the Southampton Boat Show - and it even stopped raining for a bit!

In the morning, I joined Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Lady Pippa Blake, actress Kate O’Mara (known for her role in the ’80s TV series Howards Way) and powerboat racer Steve Curtis on the main stage to represent boating through the decades since the 1960s. It was really fantastic to see Suhaili, Sir Robin’s teak-hulled ketch on display - what a fine, sturdy-looking boat she is!

It was also nice to see all the Team GB Olympic sailors led onto the stage by Ben Ainslie - they were looking understandably tired - it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for them - but in very good spirits.

I then had time to visit some of the stands and catch up with our sailing team sponsors, including Paul Honess at Marlow Ropes who has been doing some interesting development work with Yvan Joucla, our rigger on the BT Open 60, in preparation for the Vendée Globe.

I was also really pleased to go to Geoff Holt’s book launch. Geoff gave me a copy of “Walking on Water” when he kindly asked me to write the afterword for it and I have to say I couldn’t put it down. He really is the most amazing man and it’s a really incredible book. You must read it!

Ellen

Coming back to the Isle of Wight the other day after a trip on the ‘mainland’to sail with the Ellen MacArthur Trust, I was getting off the car ferry and a thought process begun in my mind… 
We have a small chain ferry which runs from East Cowes to West Cowes. The journey takes about 2 minutes (depending on the height of the tide!) but saves a 10 mile trip. 
Queuing for the chain ferry, I was wondering whether it was better to drive round or wait. I chose to wait as I felt that it would waste less fuel and with loading and unloading the time difference is negligible compared to driving round.
Whilst waiting though, I did a little calculation…
The journey if I drove it in my Renault would have been driven at an averageof about 45mpg. As a 10 mile trip that would have used about 1.01 litres offuel (I always think of a whole 1L carton of orange juice!)
That diesel would have cost me about £1.37 to buy. The cost of the chainferry is £1.50. For my car that works out cheaper to drive round (thoughonly just). If your car did around 35 mpg (which I would guess is a fairly average mpg), then that drive would cost you £1.62 and be more expensive!
I never imagined the two would be so comparable!
If you are a local however, you can go one step further and buy a book of 20tickets which work out at 88 pence per ticket. Therefore I was making asaving of fuel, AND of money (49p!) by taking the chain ferry! 
Fantastic stuff….

There was a really fantastic atmosphere in Plymouth for the start of the Artemis Transat. It was the fourth start that I’ve been at since I began my career in sailing, and, I have to say, definitely the most vibrant for the public. Sutton Harbour was absolutely buzzing with people of all ages, wandering through the rows of French market stalls, and looking out across the water to the huge colourful boats sitting in their starting blocks ready to take on the Atlantic.

I really enjoyed talking to people, and hearing their comments as they looked out over the boats. The weather was great, which led to a very relaxed atmosphere amongst the teams getting the boats ready for the race, and the bars and restaurants by the water were packed all week.

I was also visited by a lady who’s been a fan for a long time called Barbara Tilston. She came down to the docks to present me with three beautiful paintings which she had painted of Mobi (the tri I took round the world). Thanks, Barbara!

On the start day itself, I spent sometime with our sponsors BT – talking to them about just what it would be like on the first night at sea for the sailors, and about how they will be setting sail onto a 2-week non-stop conveyor belt.

I then stepped into my naval uniform (I am a Lieutenant Commander of the Royal Naval Reserve) to join HMS Argyll who held her position at one end of the start line. The view from the upper deck was fantastic, the race boats slipped away in the light afternoon breeze. The difference for the sailors between a start where the wind is howling through the rigging and a start with light winds is really huge. I have started races in a force 6 to 7 before, and waking on the start day to the noise of a storm makes your stomach churn. There are enough nerves as it is trying to take an IMOCA 60 race boat over the start line, let alone in a gale…

Ellen