ON THE WATER
with her 21ft Mini Transat boat.
“I love the race,” she says
enthusiastically. “I have done it on so
many different boats, and you take a
lot out of the race for many different
reasons. In 1997 just getting the boat
around the Island was quite
a challenge. I had only just
received it from France, and
it was my first race on it.
“There were just two of us
onboard; the weather was
windy and it was an amazing
experience. This was a boat
that a few months later I
took across the Atlantic in a solo race,
and Round the Island was my first
training session on it. I then went
across the Atlantic on a shoestring
budget, with second-hand sails, no
spon sor and finished 17th out of
50-something. It was my first solo
transatlantic race, and I loved it.”
She continued: “When I did Round
the Island on Kingfisher it was a very
different experience because it was the
year after the ‘Round the World’ on it.
That sort of boat is not really ideal for
sailing around the Island because of its
size and the fact there is not a lot of
take part in and to see.
“For those young people who sail
with the Cancer Trust, and get up at
5.0am to go to the start line, it is a
massive adventure. They love it. To sail
around the Island with those young
people who are in recovery
from cancer and leukaemia
is wonderful. It is like sailing
around the world for them,
and more satisfying for me
than sailing around the
world. You are sailing with
people who look on it as
an extraordinarily special
occasion.
“But the Trust is not all about sailing.
It is about allowing young people to
step out of the illness and have an
adventure and experience, and help
them gain confidence to move on with
their lives.”
In 2007 Ellen drove an Extreme
40 in the Round the Island race as
"I realised there was a
bigger challenge out there
I wanted to be involved in."
66
www.visitislandlife.com
room alongside all the other boats. So
it was quite entertaining!
“When I competed on a trimaran
it was different again because the
multi-hulls start first, and when you
get to The Needles and turn round to
see what is behind you it is a beautiful
sight. It doesn’t matter why you go
into the race, it is a wonderful thing to