24.01.2005
Trimaran title sponsor B&Q is the biggest DIY retailer in Europe and third biggest in the world. http://www.diy.com
ELLEN RTW RECORD: IF ATTEMPT SUCCESSFUL, FALMOUTH CONFIRMED AS ARRIVAL PORT
IN BRIEF:
* FALMOUTH, UK, CONFIRMED AS THE ARRIVAL PORT FOR ELLEN MACARTHUR AND HER 75-FOOT MULTIHULL B&Q, SHOULD SHE SUCCEED IN HER QUEST.
* LAST WEEK SHOWED HOW HER RECORD ATTEMPT HANGS IN THE BALANCE, MAYBE LESS THAN A 1 IN 4 CHANCE OF SUCCESS BUT PLANS HAVE TO BE MADE WITH OR WITHOUT THE RECORD.
* STILL 4,500 MILES TO GO AND MANY, MANY CHALLENGES TO FACE BEFORE CROSSING THE FINISH LINE
* OFFICIAL FINISH LINE BETWEEN USHANT (NORTH WEST FRANCE) AND THE LIZARD (SOUTH-WEST OF ENGLAND)
* TO BEAT THE CURRENT SOLO ROUND THE WORLD RECORD, MACARTHUR MUST CROSS THE FINISH LINE BY 0704GMT ON WEDNESDAY, 9TH FEBRUARY
* THE ARRIVAL OF B&Q SUPPORTED BY CARRICK DISTRICT COUNCIL AND THE NATIONAL MARITIME MUSUEUM CORNWALL
For latest information about Ellen's solo round the world record attempt, please visit http://www.teamellen.com updated hourly
IN DETAIL:
Offshore Challenges, the project management company responsible for Ellen MacArthur's solo round the world record attempt on board the 75-foot multihull B&Q, can announce today that in the case of a successful completion, the arrival port for Ellen MacArthur will be Falmouth, UK. But as the last week has proven, the success of her record attempt still hangs in the balance and the reality is that MacArthur perhaps only has a 1 in 4 chance of breaking the current solo, non-stop round the world record of Francis Joyon. The decision was reached after consideration of many different factors including the logistics for the support team, and the needs of Ellen's key sponsors, the media and the general public who have been supporting Ellen during these past few months. The Falmouth decision was also supported by the simple fact that it seemed logical that MacArthur should return to the very port from where she embarked to start her round the world record attempt 58 days ago. "The support we received in Falmouth prior to Ellen's departure was fantastic," said Offshore Challenges CEO, Mark Turner, B&Q was berthed at Port Pendennis right next to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, so providing a great vantage point for the public, who turned out in force to see Ellen off last November. We are very grateful to the Carrick District Council, the Maritime Museum, Event Square Management and Port Pendennis Marina, who are all fully committed to supporting Ellen's return by providing logisitical support and important facilities that will have to be put in place for public and media alike.
Consideration was also given to a number of concerns from Vendée Globe organisers in Paris, for whom there is a small risk of concurrent finishes in Les Sables d'Olonne, with possible confusion if Ellen were to arrive in a different French port at the same time. Offshore Challenges has an entry in the Vendée Globe as well, (Nick Moloney, Skandia), and therefore understands well those issues and sensitivities.
The finish line stretches from Ushant (France) to The Lizard on the UK side of the English Channel. Ellen is most likely to pass the line in French waters off Ushant as it is the closest end of the line, and should then be escorted across the busy shipping lanes to the south west coast of England.
Ellen still has at least 4,500 miles to sail with many obstacles standing in her way - the notorious Doldrums, where the south-east Trade Winds meet the opposing north-east Trade Winds at the Equator creating a serious risk of total calm; the winter storms in the North Atlantic on the final stretch to the finish line; the risk of a major technical failure on board B&Q that could bring MacArthur's attempt to an abrupt halt, as both boat and skipper are extremely fatigued after sailing over 21,200 miles; the risk of collision with an array of ocean debris or even another vessel; and the fact that Ellen could simply run out of time to beat the current solo record of 72 days, 22 hours and 54 minutes held by Francis Joyon. In the words of Ellen: "It is not over, until it's over. Anything, absolutely anything can happen right up until the final moment we cross that finish line."
There are numerous examples of round the world voyages ending abruptly just a few hundred miles from the finish, as boat and skipper fatigue significantly increases the chances of catastrophic failure. Ellen knows this well, having broken her forestay and nearly losing her mast just two days out from the finish of the Vendée Globe in 2001. In that same race Catherine Chabaud lost her mast just a few hundred miles out, having raced all the way around the globe.
To break the current solo round the world record of Joyon's, Ellen must cross the line before 0704GMT on Wednesday, 9th February, 2005.
For latest information, about Ellen MacArthur's record attempt, go to http://www.teamellen.com
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