Ellen on Thames to thank her supporters

by Kingfisher Challenges on 18 Feb 2005 Four years ago after finishing second in the non-stop solo Vendée Globe race around the world, Ellen MacArthur sailed her 60ft monohull, Kingfisher, to the UK's capital city to thank everyone for their support.

This Sunday, 20th February, Ellen will, once again, be returning to London, but this time she will be on board her 75-foot trimaran B&Q. London is, in fact, the home port of registration for both the B&Q trimaran and also the monohull, Kingfisher.

This opportunity will give Ellen the chance to say another huge thank you for all the support she has received over the last few months in her bid to become the fastest solo sailor on the planet.

The activities will centre around the famous orange trimaran navigating the River Thames from Greenwich up to Tower Bridge before returning to a pontoon close to Greenwich Pier* where Ellen will disembark to appear on stage erected outdoors in the Cutty Sark Gardens to talk about her 71 day, 14 hour, 18 minute and 33 second record voyage around the world.

‘I can honestly say that there were a couple of times when continuing with the record seemed beyond me and what kept me going were the team, who had put such a huge amount of effort into this project, and the public who sent a constant stream of messages via teamellen.com in support of what we were doing,’ said Ellen.

‘You cannot believe what a great motivator that is, to know that people from all walks of life, of all ages, from all over the UK are just willing you on.’

Greenwich, a world heritage site and one of the key sites of the 2012 Olympic bid, is the historical home of Britain's maritime achievements and home to the Cutty Sark - one of the most famous clipper ships in the history of the sea.

Just for a few hours, the high-tech 75-foot trimaran B&Q will rest close to the what was considered a 'record-breaking' ship in its time, racing back from the Orient to London laden with tea. B&Q did not have such a load but both can claim a record in the history books.

The trip to London is also in support of the Ellen MacArthur Trust, set up to support young people suffering from cancer and leukemia by taking them sailing.

‘I choose to do what I do and I never forget that - it is me who decides to put my life at risk - the kids that we sail with at the Trust do not choose their illness but they deal with it with an amazing amount of courage and determination. It is the greatest honour for me to sail with them, it is truly humbling,’ concluded MacArthur.

The public can actually track the progress of the trimaran's journey from her arrival port in Falmouth on the west coast all the way round to entry to the River Thames. The B&Q trimaran plans to depart Falmouth tomorrow afternoon [17.2.05] to make the delivery trip to Greenwich.

After London B&Q will returned to Cowes, Isle of Wight, where Ellen will be welcomed back to the Cowes Waterfront base, home to Offshore Challenges and Team Ellen, before returning to Lorient, France for a refit before taking on further solo record attempts later in the season.

For all information on Ellen go to: http://www.teamellen.com

Ellen Macarthur Solo Round the World Record:

71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds crossing the finish line at 22:29:17 GMT on Monday 7.2.05 taking 1 day, 8 hours, 35 minutes, 49 seconds off the previous fastest solo time of Francis Joyon.