It was a sheer moment of joy for Ellen MacArthur after spending 71 days 14 hours 18 minutes 33 seconds of stressed-out solitude at sea. The British icon returned to dry land in the English port of Falmouth after setting her sport's latest speed record.
Solo sailing is nowhere near as solitary as it used to be. There are Web cams and Internet links; satellite telephone conversations with friends, family, benefactors; and, most important for MacArthur's race against the clock, meteorologists. But as connected as MacArthur was as she skimmed over the oceans at a record pace in her 75-foot trimaran, it was all virtual companionship. To enjoy the true company of her fellow man and woman, she had to wait until she crossed the finish line late Monday night off the French coast of Brittany.
To grasp the true force of her latest exploit, MacArthur had to wait 14 more hours until she hopped up on a stage at the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, with thousands of spectators in the mood to give her plenty of positive feedback. She was soon joined on stage in Falmouth by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston. Sir Robin, another British icon, returned to this same port when he became the first person to sail around the world on his own without stopping in 1968 and 1969.
The daughter of school teachers, MacArthur was raised in landlocked Derbyshire, England, and saved most of her meal money from school for eight years to buy her first boat.
Standing in front of the crowd with a microphone in her hand and tears starting to creep down her apple cheeks, the 5-foot-3 MacArthur was enthralled with her adventure and achievement. "I had a clock not dissimilar to this one on board, and for 71 days 14 hours 18 minutes 33 seconds, I watched it tick away," MacArthur said. "To see that clock there with the seconds not moving is absolutely, completely unbelievable. I'm so relieved, above all."
Her journey was supported by a sizeable team behind her, led by Mark Turner, the former sailor who has shaped MacArthur's career and finances. MacArthur's voyage covered 27,353 miles, and she averaged 15.9 knots an hour and about four hours of sleep a night, nearly all of it coming in the form of naps of 20 to 30 minutes.
