SM
Sports Mole words bigger AMP 2
Arsenal vs. Man City: 1 hr 13 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

On This Day: Ellen MacArthur breaks round-the-world record

:Headline: On This Day: Ellen MacArthur breaks round-the-world record: ID:434164: from db_amp
The Derbyshire-born sailor was honoured by the queen soon after returning home.

Dame Ellen MacArthur smashed the record for the fastest single-handed circumnavigation of the world on this day in 2005.

MacArthur, 28, completed her 27,354-mile odyssey in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds.

With an average speed on the water of 15.9 knots, she beat the previous record set by Frenchman Francis Joyon by more than a day.

MacArthur's epic voyage was incident-packed (PA Archive)

It was an astounding achievement given that many in sailing had predicted Joyon's mark, set in just 2004, would last many years. Joyon had taken more than 20 days off the previous record in completing his journey in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds.

MacArthur, from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, set out on November 28, 2004 in her 75ft trimaran called B&Q/Castorama. She crossed the finish line off Ushant, France, at 10.25pm on February 7, 2005.

During an incident-packed voyage she narrowly avoided colliding with a whale, suffered burns to her arm and was battered and bruised after climbing the 90ft mast to carry out repairs. She also had to battle gales and icebergs in the southern ocean, deal with light winds in the Atlantic and cope with a host of other technical problems.

Despite that she managed to stay ahead of Joyon's time for the vast majority of her adventure. She also collected another five records on the way, beating Joyon's time to the Equator, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin in Australia, Cape Horn and back to the Equator.

MacArthur's achievement was recognised with a damehood (PA Archive)

"I am elated, I am absolutely drained, it has been a very tough trip," MacArthur said. "When I crossed the line I felt like collapsing on the floor and just falling asleep. I was absolutely over the moon."

MacArthur, originally from Derbyshire, was made a Dame of the British Empire soon after her completing her quest.

Her record stood for almost three years before being reclaimed by Joyon. He took another 14 days off the time, finishing in 57 days, 13 hours and 34 minutes.

amp_article__434164 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2021-02-07 08:46:51:
html db last update - 2021-02-07 08:46:51 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Ellen MacArthur

Share this article now:
Read more about Ellen MacArthur Sailing
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Everton236892328-526
16Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .