Ellen MacArthur facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellen MacArthur
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MacArthur in 2010
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| Born | 8 July 1976 Whatstandwell, Derbyshire, England
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| Occupation | Sailor and charity founder |
| Known for | Previous holder of fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in a yacht |
Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur (born 8 July 1976) is a famous English sailor. She is known for sailing alone around the world faster than anyone before her. Ellen grew up in Whatstandwell, England, and now lives on the Isle of Wight.
Ellen became famous on 7 February 2005. That's when she broke the world record for sailing solo around the globe. This amazing trip made her known all over the world! Later, another sailor, Francis Joyon, broke her record in 2008.
After her sailing career, Ellen started the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010. This charity helps businesses and schools learn about a "circular economy." This idea is about using resources wisely and reducing waste.
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Ellen's Early Life and First Sails
Ellen MacArthur was born in Derbyshire, England. Her parents were teachers, and she had two brothers. She loved sailing from a young age. This interest grew after reading the Swallows and Amazons series of books by Arthur Ransome.
Ellen saved her lunch money for three years! She used it to buy her very first boat. It was a small, eight-foot dinghy. She named it Threp'ny Bit and even taped a real old coin onto its front.
When she was 17, Ellen bought a bigger boat called Iduna. She sailed Iduna all by herself around Great Britain in 1995. This was a big adventure for her!
In 1997, she raced across the Atlantic Ocean alone. She finished 17th in the Mini Transat race. She even prepared her own 21-foot yacht for the race. Because of her skills, she was named "Yachtsman of The Year" in the UK in 1998.
Did you know there's an Asteroid named after her? It's called 20043 Ellenmacarthur!
Amazing Sailing Achievements
Ellen MacArthur first became widely known in 2001. She finished second in the Vendée Globe race. This is a very tough solo race around the world. At just 24 years old, she was the youngest person to finish it! For her great achievement, she received an award called the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
In 2003, Ellen tried to set a new world record with a team on a catamaran called Kingfisher 2. But their mast broke in the Southern Ocean, so they couldn't finish.
A special boat called B&Q/Castorama was built for her in 2004. It was a 75-foot (23 meter) trimaran. It was designed to help her break solo sailing records. The boat was even built to fit her height of 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 meters)!
On 28 November 2004, Ellen started her attempt to sail non-stop around the world alone. During her trip, she set many new records. She was the fastest solo sailor to reach the equator, pass the Cape of Good Hope, and go around Cape Horn.
She crossed the finish line on 7 February 2005. Her time was 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, and 33 seconds. This beat the old record by more than a day! She sailed about 27,354 nautical miles (50,659 kilometers). This means she averaged a speed of about 15.9 knots (29.4 km/h).
The day after she returned, Ellen was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This is a very high honor in the UK. She was the youngest person ever to receive it at 28 years old! France also honored her with the Legion of Honour award in 2008. Ellen can speak French very well.
In 2009, Ellen announced she would stop competitive racing. She wanted to focus on important issues like how we use resources and energy in the world.
Ellen's Sailing Records
Ellen MacArthur holds several impressive sailing records:
- In June 2000, she sailed her boat Kingfisher from Plymouth, UK, to Newport, USA. Her time of 14 days, 23 hours, 11 minutes is still the record for a woman sailing alone from east to west across the Atlantic.
- Her second-place finish in the 2000–2001 Vendée Globe race was a world record for a woman sailing alone, non-stop, around the world in a monohull (a boat with one hull). This record stood for 20 years!
- In June 2004, she set a new world record for a transatlantic crossing by women. She sailed her trimaran B&Q/Castorama from New York to Cornwall, UK, in 7 days, 3 hours, 50 minutes.
- Her most famous record was in 2005. She beat Francis Joyon's world record for sailing alone and non-stop around the world. She had to be on constant lookout and only slept for about 20 minutes at a time during the whole trip!
Even though Francis Joyon later broke her round-the-world record again, Ellen's achievement is still seen as incredible.
Books by Ellen MacArthur
Ellen has written several books about her adventures:
- Taking on the World (2002) was her first autobiography.
- Race Against Time (2005) tells the story of her record-breaking journey around the world, day by day.
- Full Circle (2010) is another autobiography.
Ellen's Charities
Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust
In 2003, Ellen started the Ellen MacArthur Trust. It's now called the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. This charity helps young people aged 8 to 24 who are recovering from cancer and other serious illnesses. They take them sailing to help them feel confident again.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) is a charity in the UK. It teaches people about the idea of a "circular economy." This means finding ways to keep resources in use for longer, reduce waste, and regenerate natural systems.
Ellen started this foundation on 23 June 2009. She was inspired by her sailing experiences, where she saw how limited resources are on Earth. The foundation works with businesses, governments, and schools to make the circular economy happen.
In 2017, the foundation launched a big prize to find new ideas for managing plastic waste. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is also a key partner in the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy (PACE).
Images for kids
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MacArthur in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Ellen MacArthur para niños
