Ellen MacArthur
Encyclopedia
Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE
(born 8 July 1976) is an English sailor
, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell
near Matlock in Derbyshire
, now based in West Cowes
, on the Isle of Wight
. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman
. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe
, a feat which gained her international renown. Francis Joyon
, the Frenchman who had held the record before MacArthur, recovered the record again in early 2008, besting MacArthur's record by nearly two weeks. Following her retirement from professional sailing on 2 September 2010, Ellen announced the launch of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
, a charity set up to inspire people to re-think, re-design and build a sustainable future.
, firstly by her desire to emulate her idol at the time, Sophie Burke and, secondly by reading Arthur Ransome's
Swallows and Amazons series of books. She has since become the Patron of the Nancy Blackett Trust which owns and operates Ransome's yacht, Nancy Blackett. Her first experience of sailing was on a boat owned by her Aunt Thea MacArthur on the east coast of England. She saved her school dinner money for eight years in order to buy her first boat, an eight foot dinghy, which she named Threp'ny Bit even though decimalisation
had taken place before she was born. She sellotaped a real Threp'ny Bit onto the bow.
When she was 17, MacArthur bought a Corribee
named Iduna, she described the first moment she saw it as "love at first sight". In 1995 she sailed Iduna single-handed on a circumnavigation of Great Britain.
In 1997 she finished 17th in the Mini Transat solo transatlantic race after fitting out her 21 ft (6.4 m) yacht Le Poisson herself while living in a French boatyard.
She was named 1998 British Telecom/Royal Yachting Association
"Yachtsman of The Year" in the UK and "Sailing's Young Hope" in France.
Asteroid
20043 EllenMacArthur
is named after her.
solo round-the-world sailing race in her boat Kingfisher (named after her sponsors, Kingfisher plc
), and subsequently MacArthur was appointed MBE
for services to sport.
In 2003 she captained a round-the-world record attempt for a crewed yacht in Kingfisher 2 (a catamaran formerly owned by Bruno Peyron
and known as Orange), but was thwarted by a broken mast in the Southern Ocean
.
A trimaran named B&Q
/Castorama
(after two companies in the Kingfisher group) unveiled in January 2004, was specially designed by Nigel Irens
and Benoit Cabaret for her to break solo records. The 75-foot (23 m) trimaran
was built in Australia, with many of the components specifically arranged to take into account MacArthur's 5 foot 2 inch (1.57 m) height.
Using the yacht, her first significant record attempt in 2004 to break the west–east transatlantic crossing
time failed by around one and a quarter hours, after over seven days of sailing.
She began her attempt to break the solo record for sailing non-stop around the world on 28 November 2004. During her circumnavigation, she set records for the fastest solo voyage to the equator
, past the Cape of Good Hope
, past Cape Horn
and back to the equator again. She crossed the finishing line near the French coast at Ushant
at 22:29 UTC
on 7 February 2005 beating the previous record set by French sailor Francis Joyon
by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes, 49 seconds. Her time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds is world record for the 27354 nautical miles (50,659.6 km) covered. This is an average speed of 15.9 knots (31.2 km/h).
On 8 February 2005, following her return to England, it was announced that she was to be appointed Dame Commander
of the Order of the British Empire
in recognition of her achievement. It is believed that she is the youngest ever recipient of this honour. Coming immediately after the event being recognised, rather than appearing in due course in the New Year's or Birthday honours lists
, this recognition was reminiscent of the knight
hoods conferred upon Francis Drake
and Francis Chichester
upon arrival home after their respective circumnavigations in 1580 and 1967. MacArthur was also made an honorary Lieutenant Commander
of the Royal Naval Reserve
on the same day.
In recognition of her achievement she was awarded the French Légion d'Honneur
Knight by Nicolas Sarkozy in March 2008. She is a fluent French speaker.
In 2007 MacArthur headed up BT Team Ellen, a three-person sailing team which includes Australian Nick Moloney and Frenchman Sébastien Josse.
In October 2009 MacArthur announced her intention to retire from competitive racing to concentrate on sustainability.
On 2 September 2010, she launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. A charity focussing on providing a positive framework for sustainable innovation using insights from living systems to re-think the future. The Foundation works primarily in Education for 14-19yrs & Higher Education and investigates the opportunities for young people in a future sustainable economy.
, UK to Newport, Rhode Island
, USA in 14 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes. This is the current record for a single-handed
monohull east-to-west passage, and also the record for a single-handed woman in any vessel.
MacArthur's second place in the 2000-2001 edition of the Vendée Globe
, with a time of 94 days, 4 hours and 25 minutes, is the world record for a single-handed, non-stop, monohull circumnavigation by a woman.
In June 2004, MacArthur sailed her trimaran B&Q/Castorama from Ambrose Light
, Lower New York Bay, USA to Lizard Point, Cornwall
, UK in 7 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes. This set a new world record for a transatlantic crossing by women, beating the previous crewed record as well as the singlehanded version.
In 2005, MacArthur beat Francis Joyon's
existing world record for a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation
. MacArthur in the trimaran B&Q/Castorama sailed 27354 nautical miles (50,660 km) at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Her time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds beat Joyon's then world record time by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds. Ellen had no more than 20 minutes' sleep at a time, having to be on constant lookout day and night. On 23 November 2007 Joyon set off in IDEC II
in an attempt to beat MacArthur's current world record for a single handed circumnavigation. He achieved his goal in 57 days, 13 hours 34 minutes and 6 seconds.
Critics of MacArthur's voyage emphasise the differences in the technological capabilities of present-day sailing vessels against those used by previous record holders.
satirical comedy show Dead Ringers
. In Episode 5 of Series 1 of a BBC Sci-fi sitcom, Hyperdrive
, a MacArthur-like character, Clare Winchester, a round-the-galaxy solo spacewoman played by Sally Phillips
, is parodied with references to video diaries, a diminishing grip on reality and friendlessness.
's Top Gear
television driving programme until the eighth series, when the car and rules were changed, and previous records were removed. The competition was a timed lap of a racetrack in a Suzuki Liana. She completed the lap in 1 minute 46.7 seconds, beating Jimmy Carr
by 0.2 seconds.
She also took part in 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School
.
In September 2010, Dame Ellen published a second autobiography entitled 'Full Circle'. This also details her life and journey up until the printing date.
These books are currently available at many bookshops and also online. Some websites include Amazon
and it is also available in electronic format on iBooks
.
"These are really special kids. In many ways they are just the same as everyone else, they are interested in the same things as kids their age, they have the same goals in life, but the difference is that they do this with a huge challenge ahead of them. I face challenges out on the water, but these are challenges that I choose to do. They on the other hand don't have this luxury. They battle against something harder than many of us could ever imagine and they do it with the biggest smiles on their faces. To me they are truly inspirational and if the Ellen MacArthur Trust can help them in their battle in any way then that is a fantastic achievement."
In 2008 MacArthur joined forces with other sports celebrities to launch an appeal to raise £4 million for the Rainbows children's hospice. The aim is to give terminally ill young people their own customised sleeping unit to enable children in separate age groups to have their families stay with them.
. One of the Foundation's ventures was launching a programme called Project ReDesign where students from school are asked to redesign some aspects of the future.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 8 July 1976) is an English sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
, up until 2009, from Whatstandwell
Whatstandwell
Whatstandwell is a village on the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England.It is about five miles south of Matlock and about four miles north of Belper...
near Matlock in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, now based in West Cowes
Cowes
Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...
, on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
. She is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe
Around the world sailing record
The first around the world sailing record was, logically, set by the first person who circumnavigated the world: Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray .Most races...
, a feat which gained her international renown. Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation....
, the Frenchman who had held the record before MacArthur, recovered the record again in early 2008, besting MacArthur's record by nearly two weeks. Following her retirement from professional sailing on 2 September 2010, Ellen announced the launch of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to promoting sustainability and the circular economy.The key aims of the charity are to:*Provide a framework for inspirational content, through the medium of education programmes....
, a charity set up to inspire people to re-think, re-design and build a sustainable future.
Early life
Ellen MacArthur was born in Derbyshire where she lived with her parents and two brothers, Fergus and Lewis. She acquired her early interest in sailingSailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, firstly by her desire to emulate her idol at the time, Sophie Burke and, secondly by reading Arthur Ransome's
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
Swallows and Amazons series of books. She has since become the Patron of the Nancy Blackett Trust which owns and operates Ransome's yacht, Nancy Blackett. Her first experience of sailing was on a boat owned by her Aunt Thea MacArthur on the east coast of England. She saved her school dinner money for eight years in order to buy her first boat, an eight foot dinghy, which she named Threp'ny Bit even though decimalisation
Decimalisation
Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency that is based on one basic unit of currency and a sub-unit which is a power of 10, most commonly 100....
had taken place before she was born. She sellotaped a real Threp'ny Bit onto the bow.
When she was 17, MacArthur bought a Corribee
Corribee
The Corribee is a model of sailing yacht with good sea keeping ability. It was in a Corribee that Ellen MacArthur sailed around Britain.The boat has also made longer voyages across the Atlantic Ocean.- Mk 1, Clinker :...
named Iduna, she described the first moment she saw it as "love at first sight". In 1995 she sailed Iduna single-handed on a circumnavigation of Great Britain.
In 1997 she finished 17th in the Mini Transat solo transatlantic race after fitting out her 21 ft (6.4 m) yacht Le Poisson herself while living in a French boatyard.
She was named 1998 British Telecom/Royal Yachting Association
Royal Yachting Association
The Royal Yachting Association is the national governing body for certain watersports in the United Kingdom. Activities it covers include:* Sailing* Windsurfing* Motor cruising* Sportsboats* Personal watercraft* Powerboat racing...
"Yachtsman of The Year" in the UK and "Sailing's Young Hope" in France.
Asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
20043 EllenMacArthur
20043 Ellenmacarthur
20043 Ellenmacarthur is an inner main-belt asteroid discovered on March 2, 1993 by R. H. McNaught at Siding Spring. It is named after English sailor Ellen MacArthur.- External links :*...
is named after her.
Racing career
She first came to general prominence in 2001 when she came second in the Vendée GlobeVendée Globe
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years....
solo round-the-world sailing race in her boat Kingfisher (named after her sponsors, Kingfisher plc
Kingfisher plc
Kingfisher plc is a multinational retailing company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest home improvement retailer in Europe and the third-largest in the world...
), and subsequently MacArthur was appointed MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to sport.
In 2003 she captained a round-the-world record attempt for a crewed yacht in Kingfisher 2 (a catamaran formerly owned by Bruno Peyron
Bruno Peyron
Bruno Tristan Peyron is a French yachtsman who, along with his crew on the catamaran Orange II, broke the outright round-the-world sailing record in March 2005. He was the first winner of the Jules Verne Trophy in 1994, for completing a round-the-world trip in under 80 days...
and known as Orange), but was thwarted by a broken mast in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
.
A trimaran named B&Q
B&Q
B&Q plc is a multinational DIY and home improvement retailer headquartered in Eastleigh, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kingfisher plc, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange....
/Castorama
Castorama
Castorama is a French retailer of DIY and home improvement tools and supplies. It has its head office in Templemars.The company became a subsidiary of Kingfisher plc in 1998, along with Castorama's own subsidiary Brico Dépôt. Some outlets have been converted or relocated under the Brico Dépôt DIY...
(after two companies in the Kingfisher group) unveiled in January 2004, was specially designed by Nigel Irens
Nigel Irens
Nigel Irens is a leading yacht designer. He is perhaps best known as designer of the Adventurer, a 35m trimaran motor yacht which completed a record-breaking circumnavigation in 1998, and of the record-breaking trimaran used by Ellen MacArthur to break the world record for solo circumnavigation in...
and Benoit Cabaret for her to break solo records. The 75-foot (23 m) trimaran
Trimaran
A trimaran is a multihulled boat consisting of a main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls , attached to the main hull with lateral struts...
was built in Australia, with many of the components specifically arranged to take into account MacArthur's 5 foot 2 inch (1.57 m) height.
Using the yacht, her first significant record attempt in 2004 to break the west–east transatlantic crossing
Transatlantic sailing record
Since the five-weeks voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, crossing the Atlantic, fast and safely, between Europe and America has always been an important issue. Today, the route has become a classic one among skippers...
time failed by around one and a quarter hours, after over seven days of sailing.
She began her attempt to break the solo record for sailing non-stop around the world on 28 November 2004. During her circumnavigation, she set records for the fastest solo voyage to the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, past the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, past Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
and back to the equator again. She crossed the finishing line near the French coast at Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
at 22:29 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
on 7 February 2005 beating the previous record set by French sailor Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation....
by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes, 49 seconds. Her time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds is world record for the 27354 nautical miles (50,659.6 km) covered. This is an average speed of 15.9 knots (31.2 km/h).
On 8 February 2005, following her return to England, it was announced that she was to be appointed Dame Commander
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in recognition of her achievement. It is believed that she is the youngest ever recipient of this honour. Coming immediately after the event being recognised, rather than appearing in due course in the New Year's or Birthday honours lists
British honours system
The British honours system is a means of rewarding individuals' personal bravery, achievement, or service to the United Kingdom and the British Overseas Territories...
, this recognition was reminiscent of the knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
hoods conferred upon Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
and Francis Chichester
Francis Chichester
Sir Francis Charles Chichester KBE , aviator and sailor, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for becoming the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall.-Early life:Chichester was born in Barnstaple,...
upon arrival home after their respective circumnavigations in 1580 and 1967. MacArthur was also made an honorary Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
of the Royal Naval Reserve
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. The present Royal Naval Reserve was formed in 1958 by merging the original Royal Naval Reserve and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve , a reserve of civilian volunteers founded in 1903...
on the same day.
In recognition of her achievement she was awarded the French Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
Knight by Nicolas Sarkozy in March 2008. She is a fluent French speaker.
In 2007 MacArthur headed up BT Team Ellen, a three-person sailing team which includes Australian Nick Moloney and Frenchman Sébastien Josse.
In October 2009 MacArthur announced her intention to retire from competitive racing to concentrate on sustainability.
On 2 September 2010, she launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. A charity focussing on providing a positive framework for sustainable innovation using insights from living systems to re-think the future. The Foundation works primarily in Education for 14-19yrs & Higher Education and investigates the opportunities for young people in a future sustainable economy.
Records
In June 2000, MacArthur sailed the monohull Kingfisher from PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, UK to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, USA in 14 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes. This is the current record for a single-handed
Single-handed sailing
The sport of single-handed sailing or solo sailing is sailing with only one crewmember . The term is usually used with reference to ocean and long-distance sailing, and particularly competitive sailing....
monohull east-to-west passage, and also the record for a single-handed woman in any vessel.
MacArthur's second place in the 2000-2001 edition of the Vendée Globe
Vendée Globe
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance. The race was founded by Philippe Jeantot in 1989, and since 1992 has taken place every four years....
, with a time of 94 days, 4 hours and 25 minutes, is the world record for a single-handed, non-stop, monohull circumnavigation by a woman.
In June 2004, MacArthur sailed her trimaran B&Q/Castorama from Ambrose Light
Ambrose Light
Ambrose Light, often called Ambrose Tower, was a light station at the convergence of several major shipping lanes in Lower New York Bay, including Ambrose Channel, the primary passage for ships entering and departing the Port of New York and New Jersey....
, Lower New York Bay, USA to Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point in Cornwall is at the southern tip of the Lizard Peninsula. It is situated half-a-mile south of Lizard village in the civil parish of Landewednack and approximately 11 miles southeast of Helston....
, UK in 7 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes. This set a new world record for a transatlantic crossing by women, beating the previous crewed record as well as the singlehanded version.
In 2005, MacArthur beat Francis Joyon's
Francis Joyon
Francis Joyon is a professional sail boat racer and yachtsman, and currently holds the record for the fastest single-handed sailing circumnavigation....
existing world record for a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation
Around the world sailing record
The first around the world sailing record was, logically, set by the first person who circumnavigated the world: Juan Sebastián Elcano and the remaining members of Ferdinand Magellan's crew who completed their journey in 1522. The first solo record was set by Joshua Slocum in the Spray .Most races...
. MacArthur in the trimaran B&Q/Castorama sailed 27354 nautical miles (50,660 km) at an average speed of 15.9 knots. Her time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes 33 seconds beat Joyon's then world record time by 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds. Ellen had no more than 20 minutes' sleep at a time, having to be on constant lookout day and night. On 23 November 2007 Joyon set off in IDEC II
Trimaran IDEC
Trimaran IDEC or Idec 2 is a maxi-trimaran skippered by Francis Joyon and sponsored par groupe IDEC.The main goal of Francis Joyon was to regain the single-handed round-the-world record from Ellen MacArthur...
in an attempt to beat MacArthur's current world record for a single handed circumnavigation. He achieved his goal in 57 days, 13 hours 34 minutes and 6 seconds.
Critics of MacArthur's voyage emphasise the differences in the technological capabilities of present-day sailing vessels against those used by previous record holders.
Satire
MacArthur's tearful video diaries recording the sailing adversities she faced inspired the caricature of her on the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
satirical comedy show Dead Ringers
Dead Ringers (comedy)
Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry...
. In Episode 5 of Series 1 of a BBC Sci-fi sitcom, Hyperdrive
Hyperdrive (TV series)
Hyperdrive is a British television science fiction sitcom series produced by the BBC created under the working title of "Full Power." BBC2 broadcast two series in 2006 and 2007, A third series is yet to be commissioned and the actor Kevin Eldon has indicated that is unlikely to be...
, a MacArthur-like character, Clare Winchester, a round-the-galaxy solo spacewoman played by Sally Phillips
Sally Phillips
-Career:Sally Phillips was the only woman in the 1990 Oxford Revue THRASH which also starred Ed Smith. She did nine consecutive Edinburgh Festivals, appearing in shows such as Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Arthur Smith's version of Hamlet and Cluub Zarathustra with Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Richard Thomas,...
, is parodied with references to video diaries, a diminishing grip on reality and friendlessness.
Popular culture
MacArthur was also the last record holder on Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car on the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
television driving programme until the eighth series, when the car and rules were changed, and previous records were removed. The competition was a timed lap of a racetrack in a Suzuki Liana. She completed the lap in 1 minute 46.7 seconds, beating Jimmy Carr
Jimmy Carr
James Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr is an English-Irish comedian and humourist. He is known for his deadpan delivery and dark humour. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television....
by 0.2 seconds.
She also took part in 2011 TV series Jamie's Dream School
Jamie's Dream School
Jamie's Dream School is a seven-part British television documentary series made by Fresh One Productions, first aired on Channel 4. In it, Jamie Oliver enrols a group of teenagers with fewer than five GCSEs into his "Dream School" - a school in which lessons are taught by celebrities who are...
.
Books by Ellen MacArthur
In 2002, Dame Ellen released her first autobiography entitled 'Taking on the World'. This detailed her life and journey up until the printing date. The Observer describes the book as:The first true heroine of the twenty-first century.
In September 2010, Dame Ellen published a second autobiography entitled 'Full Circle'. This also details her life and journey up until the printing date.
These books are currently available at many bookshops and also online. Some websites include Amazon
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and it is also available in electronic format on iBooks
IBooks
iBooks is an e-book application by Apple Inc. It was announced in conjunction with the iPad on January 27, 2010, and was released for the iPhone and iPod Touch in mid-2010, as part of the iOS 4 update. At that time, it was described by Apple as being available only in the United States...
.
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
In 2003, MacArthur set up the Ellen MacArthur Trust (now The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust), a registered charity, to take young people, aged between 8 and 24 inclusive, sailing to help them regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illnesses. In Ellen’s words:"These are really special kids. In many ways they are just the same as everyone else, they are interested in the same things as kids their age, they have the same goals in life, but the difference is that they do this with a huge challenge ahead of them. I face challenges out on the water, but these are challenges that I choose to do. They on the other hand don't have this luxury. They battle against something harder than many of us could ever imagine and they do it with the biggest smiles on their faces. To me they are truly inspirational and if the Ellen MacArthur Trust can help them in their battle in any way then that is a fantastic achievement."
In 2008 MacArthur joined forces with other sports celebrities to launch an appeal to raise £4 million for the Rainbows children's hospice. The aim is to give terminally ill young people their own customised sleeping unit to enable children in separate age groups to have their families stay with them.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
After retiring from sailing, MacArthur founded the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in order to promote sustainabilitySustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. One of the Foundation's ventures was launching a programme called Project ReDesign where students from school are asked to redesign some aspects of the future.