Note for sailer:
In a few hours Ellen Mc Arthur will have finished a one-hand, non-stop sail around the world in a record time of 71 days and some 14 hours.
Incredible how she can make herself to bear such agony and to achieve such satisfaction.
Back to Main
February 7, 2005
Go Ellen, Go!
Comments
FIRST !
if she’s like all sailors in human history who come to land after a long sail, first thing she’s gonna do after formalities and sleep will be to shag her brains out 🙂
i’ve been aware of this and find what she is doing way cool. biggest thing i have ever sailed on my own was a laser class boat.
Posted by: name | Feb 7 2005 21:20 utc | 1
she’s done it! Bravo!
The last ten record holders were French, damnit. But at least she became famous in France before she was in the UK…
Posted by: Jérôme | Feb 7 2005 23:09 utc | 2
Fantastic! I really don’t even care about her nationality – this is just an inspiration in any language.
Thanks for this post, and also the previous really great thread starting with the Russion dollar switch.
Posted by: maxcrat | Feb 8 2005 1:40 utc | 3
Seventy one days isn’t so long to prove yourself as the world’s best single-hander, especially if you like sailing alone. I can think of worse occupations.
Posted by: rapt | Feb 8 2005 3:37 utc | 4
I’m cheering for Ellen every time, but I dunno that I’d call the solo rtw race exactly “agony.” Being tortured by the Yanks in Abu Ghraib, that’s agony. Enduring discomfort and fear in pursuit of the incredible highs of sailing alone on blue water, that’s — well, some would say crazy, but by me it isn’t exactly agony. I can think of Ellen M with envy, wishing to be in her shoes, which sure ain’t true of those suffering real agonies out there in various hells worldwide…
I’m utterly amazed & delighted that she survived & broke so many records on top of it. Also, pleased that some around here followed the journey. I never rec’d any response to my 2 postings on it, so I thght. I was alone in my fascination. This is so much more real than the Clash of the Billionaire Egos – America’s Cup, etc. – that gets most of the press.
She’s called a sailor, but in reading her bk last wkend, one discovers that trans-oceanic sailors/racers are far more than mere sailors. They have to be able to repair every system on their boats & spend an inordinate amount of their time doing that. If you’re not a de facto engineer as well as a passionate & brilliant sailor, you can’t even consider such a voyage.
@Jerome, if you’re still around…..I hadn’t realized there was a national angle to it, but clearly from yr. comments & those of Sir Robin Knox-Johnson @Falmouth reprinted @end of Chris Clarey’s art. in NYT, that is strong. (He thanked her for bringing the record back to England.) Consider that we’re at the end of the Age of Cheap Oil…..Wind is in. You’re working w/people promoting wind power. Why not talk to them – I posted (& can re-post if you wish) about a local who’s very active building wind power in Germany & would prob. love to move into Fr. & Eng. – & get them to sponsor the MacArthur Wind Power Franco-British Regatta? The point is to revive interest in sailing & wind, beg. w/the young. Make learning about & depending on the wind fun – “natural” & you’ve won the battle for hearts & minds. Given the problems you’re having w/the French accepting it, that might help you skirt around the power bottleneck. So have age classes – say 12 & Under, <=15, <=17....etc... Call up yr. Nat'l Sailing Assoc. & see if you can get those guys together - throw in local tourism/municipal interests. Maybe French, (etc?) banking houses would be interested in helping getting it going. (Ellen's sponsor signed her up when she was nobody 'cuz the top guy loved sailing. Maybe there are others where you work who do so as well.) What better publicity could there possibly be. Could be a fun diversion for you too.
And don't forget that yr. son could go sailing w/Ellen. She spends her summers taking out children w/cancer.
(Hope you get this post. Might let me know, either here, or on subsequent open thread. If not, I'll repost for you.)
Posted by: jj | Feb 9 2005 6:03 utc | 6
like to know if her book is released since I do think that she is a wonderul woman
Posted by: Cyrus | Aug 16 2005 10:21 utc | 7