ON THE WATER
Ellen's new chal
Peter White talks to the round-the-world yachtswoman
who is on the crest of a fresh wave in her hectic life
During her record-breaking career,
round-the-world yachtswoman Dame
Ellen MacArthur inspired countless
would-be sailors of all ages to take up
the sport.
Now for the first time Ellen has
revealed how the inspiration she
gained from a group of youngsters
recovering from life-threatening
illnesses helped her battle through a
critical moment of her life when she
stared death in the face.
Following her retirement from
professional sailing last year, she
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announced the launch of The Ellen
MacArthur Foundation, a charity
set up to inspire people to re-think,
re-design and build a sustainable
future.
She also heads the Ellen MacArthur
Trust, which gives young people
recovering from cancer and leukaemia
the opportunity to experience the
thrill and challenge of sailing, and help
regain their confidence. The Trust was
formed 2003 after Ellen saw a similar
project in France.
It was those French youngsters
who helped Ellen survive the most
dangerous moment of her sailing
career. She explained: “I decided to
form the Trust after sailing in 2000 in
France with a charity called ‘Everyone
Has Their Direction’ which took
young people in recovery from cancer
and leukaemia sailing and cruising.
“I went back the following year and
sailed with the youngsters for a week
and was really inspired by what I saw. I
was nervous, because I had never sailed
with young people before, never mind
people recovering from serious illness.