February 12, 2001 - 12:25:07 AM]
Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) - responses to questions posed in
the first press conference after the finish:
"I’ve just had a chat with Tony Blair, well he wanted to talk to
me! It’s incredible that I’ve been followed by someone like
him. He really knew about the race, he knew what had
happened to Yves and about the icebergs. I think he was
quite surprised at the number of people here. We must have
chatted for 10 – 15 minutes. It was a long chat and he was
genuinely enthusiastic. He finished by saying ‘you’ll have to
come and see me soon’ so I said ‘yep, see you later!’ at the
end.
"It was the most amazing experience in my life seeing so
many people here to see me. I thought that there must be
someone standing behind me. Then I thought that they must
all be here for the boat as she sailed round the world, I’m just
the pilot.
"I don’t know what to think, I’m still blown away by the whole
situation. A question that everyone’s asked during the race is:
"What would you like or what do you miss the most? I don’t
miss having anything except my friends, family and team, but
they all understand why I am out here.
"Unfortunately I was way behind Mich coming out of the Saint
Helene high pressure system but was keen to keep my
position in the West. Coming to the Equator I spent a lot of
time mending my gennaker, I spent 18 hours with it laid out
on deck, I was fairly careful with the sail as I wanted a big sail
in the Doldrums. The wind instruments broke on two
consecutive nights so I had to change the anemometer at the
top of the mast twice. Sailing with a fragile gennaker now, I
was pretty tired. The first anemometer I fixed was faulty so I
had to go up the rig a second time. That was the moment I
was most scared. I was at the top of the rig, there was this big
squall, lots of rain but I didn’t mind that. The wind died off
and the boat gybed 7 times while I was up the mast. With a
boat that has a canted keel, if the index had been on the
wrong side and the wind had come back the boat would have
fallen over on top of me. So I was completely exhausted and
sailed further to the East. I needed to sleep. I ended up due
South of Mich, well that’s life.
"If the race was going to start tomorrow you can bet your
bottom dollar that I’d be on that start line again! It was the
hardest race ever but it’s very difficult to get off the boat.
"I’ve got nothing in my mind that says "Ellen, don’t do the
Vendée Globe again!" Could another circumnavigation ever be
the same? But then when I sailed round Britain on Iduna I
had the same feeling coming into the locks at Hull marina as
I did today – just a few more people here!
"I’d like to believe that the reason why people followed my
race, is that if you have a dream you can make it happen.
Sitting here alone makes it look like I’ve done this on my own
but it’s not just me, it’s the whole team. 95% of the result has
been thanks to them, they’ve helped me through the bad
days, they’ve prepared the best boat ever.
"I never imagined there’d be as many people as are here
tonight.
"My daily routine is normal to me, although it’s a bit strange
for everyone else. The first thing I did was to go to the toilet,
it’s the first time in 3 months that I’ve been to a toilet that
flushes! My whole world has been 60ft long and about the
same high, I’ve been up the mast pretty often! I’m seeing
different colours and lights now, where for 3 months I’ve seen
nothing but beautiful ocean and a beautiful boat. That
intrigues and inspires people. You can get an image of it in
your mind of what it’s like, you don’t have to be a sailor to
understand that. It’s not about sailing, people are interested
in the story, that you can make it happen. This is a sailing
race and sailing is my life but in a way it’s just to say that if
you want to do something you can…I just chose to do it in a
boat.
"I never had a change of mind, always kept the same view,
you never know what’s going to happen. You could set off the
first day in first but a million things could change in the course
of a race like this. It so happened that I came second and I’m
thrilled to bits. My index aim was to finish and any one that
crosses the line is a winner.
"I never thought I wouldn’t be able to finish the race. In the
face of adversity you find solutions, you put all your time and
energy into finding the solution. There was a moment that I
feared for my life, that I wasn’t sure I could get out of what I’d
got into. But I had no option but to sort the problem, and it’s
afterwards when you are quite shocked, when it hits you the
hardest.
"This is the first time I’ve really worked with a team to prepare
this project. Without Mark Turner there’s no way I’d be here.
I’ve had to learn that. And there’s a lot of progress to be
made from that…
"It hasn’t even sunk in yet. When I was out there, I always
sailed to the maximum as much as I could, how the boat likes
to be sailed. I’m elated to be second, it says a lot for the
team and preparation, which is critical in a race like this. It’s
swings and round-a-bouts, as Mich could have got a bigger
lead than 640 miles but he got stuck in the Saint Helen
system. I’m still the juvenile of the race.
"Now I just want to change out of these damp clothes and
spend time with friends and family. I’ll be racing Kingfisher
and other boats in the future I think. It’s early days. It’s a big
dream to get this race under my belt and I need to let it sink
in. I’m dying to get back on the water soon…"
[February 11, 2001 - 8:49:00 PM]
Ellen MacArthur (Kingfisher) crossed the finish line of the
Vendée Globe in second position at 2036 hrs and 40 seconds.
The 24 yr old British skipper has just become the first woman
to achieve a solo circumnavigation in less than 100 days. She
has spent 94 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes and 40 seconds at
sea.
Ellen’s first words from her boat after crossing the finish line:
"Half you imagine in your head what can happen, and the
other half no-one could ever imagine what could happen.
"I’m so happy to see my friends but at the same time I really
don’t feel like a party tonight!"
"All I can say is Bravo Michel! He sailed a fantastic course. I
made several mistakes but you learn a lot!" (much giggling)
"I think I have learned a lot about myself and the boat, you
spend a lot of time thinking, reflecting, dreaming about so
many things. I have found great pleasure in this race but at
the same time you learn so much."
Later on the podium in front of thousands:
"Other projects? Yes, the Transat Jacques Vabre and there’s a
crewed transatlantic race I want to do this July. It will be a bit
bizarre to have other people on board though! I can’t imagine
my life without this boat…"
"My boat and I, well it’s a long story and I am so proud of her,
she is super – bravo Kingfisher!
"To be here, it’s just incredible, my head is about to explode,
my nerves too, more than the world could imagine. I am so
moved, no one could imagine…"
"Thank you for coming! I knew that the strongest moment
would be crossing the line, and the toughest would be half an
hour later when I’d have to be parted from my boat."
"Without my boat I am nothing. I’m merely the helmsman."
"I have just realised a dream come true but I haven’t come
out of it, I don’t think I ever will.
"Since 10 yrs old I’ve been dreaming of doing this non-stop
circumnavigation, I’ve read all the books on it."
"I have discovered the importance of a team, of people close
to you. I’ve tried my utmost to share my experience of the
race, I’m not really doing this alone, I’ve felt there’s been so
many people close to me. I received so many emails from
people on our website and it’s fantastic to know that the whole
world is following you. It’s as if there’s someone out there
behind you.
"I’m no Super star, I’m the same Ellen that I was at school,
when I was saving money to buy my first boat… and I know I’ll
stay like that."
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