It’s not every day that you can do that in London with a 40 foot Extreme 40 catamaran and it was great sailing on the Thames, it was sunny and there was a fantastic breeze blowing. We finished third in the end with a time of 9 minutes 57 seconds, we thought we were going to be second until the last boat pipped us to the post! The winners Pete Cumming and Chris Draper on Oman Sail came first with a time of 9 minutes 14 seconds. No excuses, but we had the first run of the day which can affect your time as you are negotiating the course first and showing everyone else where to go!

We started out from Greenwich Yacht Club, a great club with a really friendly atmosphere. The course went from there upwind to a pier off the O2 Arena then back downwind. You could see all the tall buildings in the City and the top end of the race course was right next to the O2 Arena so made it a bit tricky wind-wise.

It is not the easiest stretch of water to sail as there is lots of shipping around. It’s also tidal, there are lots of slipways and docks and there is a strong current to negotiate. The depth of water is quite shallow along the bank so you need to be a bit careful to avoid hitting the bottom in places.The Extreme 40 catamaran is one of fastest boats out there, crewed by 4 people, capable of going up to 40 knots. You wouldn’t sail them around the world on one, but they are the Formula 1 cars of sailing and attract many top sailors. It is easy to understand why once you have been on one and yesterday was a perfect day - we had a good team, nice guests onboard and everyone absolutely loved it.

Can’t wait for the UK stop of the iShares Cup circuit - the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week on 2-4 August!

Ellen 

They really are incredibly brave. You cannot help but be inspired by them.  

Ellen  

The Nordic Archipelagos, off Stockholm, Aland and Finland, are so truly beautiful, and to be racing around them from 15 to 18 hours a day was spectacular. The tiring aspect came from not only concentrating on boat speed and tactics for that period of time, but also from the fact that in a bit of breeze the F18’s are quite physical to sail. Greg and I were challenged in that we do not by any means sail F18’s all the time – and for me it was only the second race I have ever done having to use a trapeze! Our three day training session in Sweden just two weeks before the raid went really well, it gave me a chance to get used to going out on the trapeze (which must have been hilarious to watch) and also gave us a chance to get used to the conditions over there. I think that people have the impression that all boats are the same, but in fact they are not, and are very different. The skills needed to race an open 60 are very different than those needed to race an F18. For a start an F18 is a small dinghy that you tow behind a car, it’s sailed by two people, and is extremely easy to capsize!

So it was a steep learning curve for me, in how to sail the boat, and how to handle the challenging conditions we had on our third day of training when there was more wind. I guess it’s a bit like an F1 driver jumping in a rally car to do a rally, or a sprinter running a marathon. The two disciplines are very different!

The raid itself was a huge challenge, to begin with I’d better describe how each 24 hour period pans out. You are basically orienteering around 100,000 islands and sailing 2 legs per day. At the end of the first leg you are given the co-ordinates of the second leg. Each leg has around 4 or 5 check points in it and you have to work out which route you will pick between the islands as there are more often than not loads of options! You race really hard, normally starting the first leg of each race at around 2 am to 4 am. It’s a good time of year to do this, as the race takes place around the longest day of the year!

We had everything from light conditions, to really heavy conditions. We had capsizes and collisions with rocks, as did just about every boat out there on the raid! It’s a really tough endurance race, and concentrating so hard for so long really does take it’s toll on you. The good thing is flying along at sunrise between the rocks really does make you feel alive!

We went everywhere from tiny creeks we had to paddle through, to really huge expanses of the Baltic sea heading over to Aland.  Our nights were spent camping in little tents near the boats, in the most stunning locations. We took all our gear with us on the boats, and were provided with one hot meal each day. On the boat we had snacks and repair equipment which we often used at night..

Greg’s hands were not in great shape by the end of the raid, with blisters and three finger nails about to fall off. On the third day in the evening I had to stick a red hot needle through his finger nail to relieve the pressure that had built up behind the nail. Everyone suffers physically – but always it seems with a smile on their face! The atmosphere on our boat, BT was fantastic, we always had a smile, and even in the most difficult circumstances we were able to laugh and diffuse the situation. We made a really strong team, we worked together well, and were honest about each others strengths and weaknesses.

We did not win the raid, in fact we finished 9^th. But then again the guys that did were back for their fourth attempt! The best thing for us was that we progressed well throughout the week, we climbed in the fleet and we ended up in 5^th place on the final leg of the final day which would have stood us in good stead until our rudder fell off (literally!). It was the strangest thing to happen just a couple of hours from the finish. We were sailing along when there was a sudden ‘bang’ and the boat slowed. We continued racing, and actually without too many problems. We only lost one place to other competitors – but when a 30 knot + squall came in around Stockholm in our final 30 mins were in pretty bad shape as we could not actually tack the boat! Greg had to jump in to turn the boat through the wind, and we damaged our bowsprit on a buoy when we couldn’t turn. This ended up with us having to hide in a bay for shelter to escape the waves that we could not turn in. Once the squall was passed we headed out once again… and we did manage to finish – but as with so many races it’s not over till it’s over!

Two tired but happy people crossed the finish line in Stockholm. Both I believe with a strong desire to return!

ellen

The backdrop to the fifth day of the Archipelago Raid was a beautiful 03.00 sunrise as the courageous teams left Rödhamn, Åland to once again head across the open stretch of the Baltic Sea back towards the Stockholm archipelago. After two hours of sailing on a flat calm sea, the organisers decided to cancel the leg, tow the boats to the northeast part of the Stockholm Archipelago and start the next leg from Fejan island as soon as the wind picked up. The teams were then able to sail to the island of Sandhamn at a good pace in 6-10 knots of wind.

Ellen MacArthur and Greg Homann on the BT F18 are currently ninth and had a great start of leg 10 today speeding away in 10 knots upwind. Late afternoon yesterday, they had problems with their sail and had to stop to repair it. They dropped to last but managed to climb back to 14^th place for the leg. “We are really enjoying the race. There are a lot of tactics involved, which is interesting. We are not used to sailing this type of boat and we are learning a lot. And we are laughing a lot. We are tired but still laughing, which is giving us energy,” said Ellen MacArthur in good spirits before the start in Fejan today.

Tomorrow, Wednesday 18 June, the exhausted sailors will finish the race late afternoon in the city of Stockholm.

In spite of a really long, physically demanding day yesterday, Ellen MacArthur and Greg Homann are gradually working their way up the results board, moving into 10^th place overall after Leg 7 on Day 4 of the Archipelago Raid.

Althought the experienced French Formula 18-duo Eric Proust and Romain Motteau on Team Kalix have been leading the Archipelago Raid since Day 1, they are having to beat off some stiff competition from the other boats, notably from

Swedish Team Thule (Martin Strandberg/Johan Örtendahl), whose strategic decision to paddle while the other teams tacked when leaving Nagu island in the Finnish archipelago helped them to win leg 7.

This is the fourth day of the Raid and the boats are back in the Åland archipelago, sailing in great conditions with winds around 10-15 knots.

Several teams have problems with their GPS, because of the humidity. They are having to rely on traditional chart navigation, demanding a lot more of the tired sailors.

The tension is rising in the fleet to achieve a good result and the second leg of the day which started early afternoon was full of action, with three boats capsizing over the line! Team Blue Oceans, NCC, and First Hotels were too eager in the gusty winds and turned over. They were all quickly back on track but with a lot of energy consumed.

The eighth leg will take the competitors to Rödhamn in Åland, where they will arrive at the Yacht Club of Åland late tonight.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the boats will start the long journey “home”, back to the Stockholm archipelago, ending the day at Sandhamn.

On Wednesday 18 June, the race finishes in the city of Stockholm late afternoon.

See updated results at www.archipelagoraid.com

In spite of having problems with their furler, Ellen MacArthur and Greg Homann are managing to maintain their position amongst the first 12 boats in the fleet. As they cannot roll up their head sail, this causes problems when they need to paddle so they are hoping that the wind doesn’t drop in the coming days.

After a night of pouring rain on the island of Lappo, the fleet started today, the third day of the Archipelago Raid, at 5 a.m.. This was two hours later than originally intended, due to flat calm in the early hours. The start was eventually given in 15 knots of north-easterly winds and the Formula 18 catamarans charged away at full speed under spinnaker towards the five checkpoints before the leg finish at Fårö in the Finnish archipelago.

The Belgian team Patrick Demesmaeker and Michel Proot on RBSC Huysman dominated the fleet, winning the first leg of the day, but were closely followed by the leading pack of the French overall leaders Eric Proust and Romain Matteau on Team Kalix, the Swedes Fredrik Ekman and Gustav Tempelman on Sundsvalls Bygg, and Martin Strandberg and Johan Örtendahl, Team Thule.

The wind has picked up and the boats are reaching speeds of up to 20 knots. No other people or boats are to be seen although there are small, inhabited islands everywhere. At such high speeds, the teams have to be particularly alert to hidden rocks and be careful not to make any navigational errors. Almost 80 percent of the fleet hit rocks this morning and many dagger boards suffered damage.

On this third day of the Raid, the physical demands are already taking their toll. At some checkpoints located on beaches the teams have to jump out of the boat, run up to check in and run back to the boat. Many sailors have been struggling to get back up on the boats…

Yesterday the weather picture was different. The teams had a tough day in light winds and rain in the Åland archipelago. The last teams arrived more than two and a half hours after the leader to the night stop at Lappo, as the wind died and they had to paddle longer distances.

Throughout the day today, the competitors will complete a good 100 nautical miles before they arrive at the last stop of the day, Nagu, in the Finnish archipelago. Tomorrow the fleet will head back towards Rödhamn in the western part of the Åland archipelago.

After leg 3 on Day 2 of the Archipelago Raid, Ellen MacArthur and Greg Homann have made it to tenth place in the fleet.

After only a couple of hours of sleep, they left Lidö in the archipelago of Stockholm at 03.30 to head out into the Baltic Sea towards Åland, an area full of small islands between Sweden and Finland. In light south-easterly winds, at around eight knots, the teams made a few big tacks over the Baltic Sea towards Rödhamn in Åland.

The warm weather that Sweden has seen in the past month is now gone and it is cold and humid,  The water in the Baltic Sea is only 13 degrees Celsius so many of the teams arriving in Åland were tired, wet and cold. In the light winds and open sea brokerage is not yet an issue although the Swedish boat Klinger with Thommy Sundström and Markus Lagerqvist onboard retired this morning after they broke their spinnaker pole yesterday.

The fleet is now heading northeast towards Lappo in the north-eastern part of the Åland Archipelago. They will navigate a number of checkpoints before arriving later on tonight, having sailed around 80-100 nautical miles. As this archipelago is littered with rocks and islands there are many navigational options to choose from and the rainy afternoon will demand good tactics from the sailors. In the light winds, the crews will probably have to execute a bit of the dreaded paddling that the Archipelago Raid is notorious. Early tomorrow morning the boats will set sail even further east towards Nagu in the Finnish archipelago. 

Text message received from Ellen on 14 June 2008 at 01:24:

Just woken, big first day. All going well. No majors. Boat fine, us fine. Touched the board on a rock yesterday but all OK. Fixed!

Ellen 

Good evening or “God Kväll” from Stockholm where we are counting down the hours to the start of the Archipelago Raid. As I write, Ellen is kneeling on the floor of her hotel bedroom with charts all around her and a GPS, plotting the route for the first day of the Raid.

It has been a full-on day for all of us here preparing the BT F18. I was sent off to the local chandlery (thanks to all the guys at Benns and One Design!) with a long shopping list of last minute purchases while Ellen and Greg (Homann) worked on the catamaran checking sails, shackles, waterproof seals, etc.

 A couple more things to do tomorrow, but we are pretty much ready… bring it on!

 Katie (Ellen’s PR/PA)

I had an amazing day in Birmingham yesterday at the Climate Change Festival sponsored by E.ON. It was fantastic to speak to so many different groups of people – schools, community leaders, the University, the Housing Association amongst others - who were so passionate about doing their bit to reduce their carbon footprint and it was really good to see how Birmingham City Council were proactively supporting this.

What I saw was a real collection of tangible, visible projects that were actually making a difference in terms of the City’s footprint and should stand them in good stead to help them with their target to reduce their CO₂ emissions by 60% by 2026. That means that this year, each person in Birmngham needs to reduce their own CO₂ emissions by 100kg.

Go for it, Birmingham!

Ellen

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind what with a trip to Paris studying environmentally friendly vehicles, and then heading to Sweden to train on the BT F18 catamaran with Greg Homann for three days ahead of the Archipelago Raid which starts on Friday 13th June.

On arrival in the evening in Stockholm, the weather was fantastic and that great weather carried us through the next three days beautifully. We had great winds, clear blue skies and one of the most beautiful places in the world to sail. It was great to get into the groove of sailing in the Archipelago, and getting used to the navigation and environment over there. We had some gusty moments and close calls, but never capsized, though both of us managed to fall off!

The boat was fantastic, and we were really pleased with her speed and performance. We based ourselves on the island of Sandhamn and sailed from there each day. 

I am looking forward to the Archipelago Raid, though I know that we’re going to be exhausted by the end of it…  Nearly there…

Ellen

You can read more about the race on www.archipelagoraid.com  

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

The sun shone for the opening of E.ON’s new building up in Coventry on the 8th May. E.ON are one of our sponsors with whom I am doing work on sustainability within their own company, and with their business customers. 

It was great to see such a wide range of people from the B2B part of the business with a very positive outlook on driving change forward. There were several speeches made for the thousands of staff who work in the building, and as I went round the foyer afterwards visiting stands representing the various business units, it was great to hear the enthusiastic feedback and find out about the practical things - like sharing cars to get to work - that they are doing in order to really make a difference.  

As Jim McDonald, Commercial Director, said in his speech, now that everyone involved in dealing with clients is based in the same building, it is going to be much easier not only to deliver a better service to the client, but to do so in a more sustainable way too. I really believe that simply ‘being joined up’ is important in dealing with sustainability issues, and being able to offer advice to businesses.

Ellen