Ellen MacArthur.

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trevtheturner

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Has just broken the solo round-the-world sailing record.

Probably the greatest sporting achievement ever - so far - taking the record off a Frenchman by some 1 day 8 hours, after 71 days at sea. Magnificent!

Trev.
 
I have been following her progress for several weeks - and have put a link to her web site in primary position on my web site (must update it now...).

I get sea-sick on the Isle of Wight ferry, so you could say that I'm a landlubber who isn't really into this yachting thing. But I admire what this young woman has done immensely. Her determination and commitment should be an inspiration to us all.

Climbing that 75ft mast twice whilst on the high seas to fix a problem, can you believe it? The boat would've been bouncing around like a cork in a storm.

She very much deserves a gong for what she has done. Way more than any of these poncy politicians who get promoted to the upper house for doing SFA in their entire lifetime.

Now watch Bliar make a media event out of her fabulous achievement. I guarantee that he will be grasping her hand in the run up to the election to show what a world statesman he is.

Well done Ellen.

Andrew
 
Woman spends 71 days in B&Q. "I was looking for a light fitting. They had it on the website but I can't seem to find it here" she explains...

Bloomin' marvellous piece of work; British sailor beating the French in Trafalgar anniversary year? Excellent. :D I'd be popping down to Falmouth to cheer her in except I'm about 2hrs too late to get anywhere close enough to see anything. :(

Cheers, Alf
 
johnelliott":3gdmf1ph said:
I couldn't have done what she did
Too right you couldn't, John - I can guarantee it!

johnelliott":3gdmf1ph said:
but isn't 'making history' and 'heroine' (both from BBC1 news) a bit much?
I think the BBC's comments were fair enough - the record arguably the most important offshore sailing record (the fully-crewed record is the other contender, but isn't nearly as much of a test on the individuals themselves) and warrants a place in the history books, so 'making history' is fair enough unless you feel that there shouldn't be historical records kept of this sort of thing (like, for example, Tenzing and Hillary's Everest ascent, or who won the World Cup in 1990)

How you feel about 'Heroine' is up to you - if you don't feel that sportsmen and/or adventurers should be given this label then that is your choice, but if you do, you should certainly accord Ellen the same title.

The media focuses on the 'human suffering' side of the record, as this is the only part of the achievement that the public can understand, but there is so much more to it than that. She has to be able to sail an incredibly complex and 'twitchy' out-and-out race boat on the edge (literally) at optimum speed, diagnose & fix the multitude of technical problems which come up during such a long race, understand the complexities of weather prediction, routing and navigation etc. etc. If you want to just focus on the human suffering side, why not try spending 71 days sleeping in 10-15 minute bursts (total 2-4 hours), lifting a sack of potatoes repeatedly above your head for several hours each day, sleeping on a shelf or in a chair in wet clothing with water dripping onto you, dismantling and reassembling your car engine, then at your most tired, try to decipher something complicated on the computer
(can't think of an example of sufficient complexity here), then fulfil your media obligations, then start the whole thing again? If you can manage this, all you need to do is to spend 15 years becoming one of the world's best sailors, build up a track record of sailing achievements to get to the stage where a major corporation will risk millions to support you, and then maybe you could make an attempt at doing what she has done.

Also if you think that this was a great achievement 'for a woman', I should point out that she already held the record for the fastest woman around the world, set four years ago - an achievement that she considered to be completely irrelevant.

Neil
 
Neil":1igjhb7s said:
How you feel about 'Heroine' is up to you - if you don't feel that sportsmen and/or adventurers should be given this label then that is your choice, but if you do, you should certainly accord Ellen the same title.

No, I personally would not use words such as hero and heroine for sportsmen or adventurers. The reason? They've chosen to undertake, what is undoubtedly an arduous task, for their own benefit. Heros, as far as I am concerned, do what they do for the benefit of others.

Making history? Well, not really, if she had been the first person to sail single handedly around the world then yes.

I am not decrying her achievement, if I have a beef then it is with the media for using inappropriate words to describe it.

The problem with records is that they only stand until someone else breaks them

John
 
Alf":3s3za7be said:
Woman spends 71 days in B&Q. "I was looking for a light fitting. They had it on the website but I can't seem to find it here" she explains...

I don't know about everyone else, but I find it quicker to find stuff in their stores than on their flaming useless website! :x
 
Well done to Ellen, hero, heroin, record breaker, what the heck a wonderful achievement.

It just goes to show that:

You can do it when you B & Q it.

Good to see that she got a Dameship out of it.
 
Congrats to ellen on job well done

I was taught early in school that the Brits rule the waves. This is just a conformation.
I can appreciate in a small way, some of her hardships. I had a 23' sailing boat for about 8 years. Spent a lot time making repairs and wondering it it was too windy or not windy enough :D
Hero or not? Well done, from a now landlocked sailor.

Travis
 
Taffy Turner":259i18z1 said:
Alf":259i18z1 said:
Woman spends 71 days in B&Q. "I was looking for a light fitting. They had it on the website but I can't seem to find it here" she explains...
I don't know about everyone else, but I find it quicker to find stuff in their stores than on their flaming useless website! :x

What I have found is that their store computer system is never up to date with what is on the shelves. I imagine the auditors have a serious issue with this!

I've been into the local B&Q store and asked at the business desk for a product and the computer system says nil. So I pointed a grubby finger out of the window and said "you mean those 20 x 3m worktops on the rack which I want one of don't physically exist?".

To which the reply went along the lines of "oh well, I'll book the delivery then We can't depend upon this computer system".

Andrew
 
Well Done Ellen !!!!!!!!!!!!

I admire what this young woman has done immensely. Her determination and commitment should be an inspiration to us all.

A great Job.

Norman
 
He Andrew, are you going to the B&Q in Reading??,

I have found that out too (to often tough), but lately I have found the new SuperBig B&Q in Sutton a much better choice

This one is really good, they are really well stocked, I think they use this are there main warehouse
 
Ellen is highly respected here in France, and is given plenty of air time on the news. Well deserved I think.
 
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