Ellen MacArthur establishes final record of Asian circuit

by Team Ellen 12 May 2006 14:51 BST

LUCKY NO. 13, AS ELLEN MACARTHUR ESTABLISHES FINAL RECORD OF THE ASIAN RECORD CIRCUIT IN SINGAPORE

The Omega clock finally stopped ticking after eight, long weeks as B&Q crossed the finish line off the coast of Singapore today at 09:47:46 GMT to establish the thirteenth and final record of the Asian Record Circuit. The last 280-mile leg from Terengganu, Malaysia to Singapore was completed in a time of 1 day, 23 hours, 9 minutes and 8 seconds. In total, Ellen MacArthur and her international crew have sailed over 4500 miles via eight different countries including Japan, South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore on this inaugural Asian Record Circuit. MacArthur has sailed this ground-breaking tour with a crew of four that has included Chinese solo sailor, Shaun Weng, Singaporean solo sailor Elaine Chua, French solo sailing star, Thomas Coville, and the regular crew of Loik Gallon, Erwan Lemeilleur and Charles Darbyshire. The Asian Record Circuit began on the 25th March and during this eight-week tour MacArthur and her crew have established 13 new records, racing for a total of 24 days, 0 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds. The team have visited 8 major ports in Asia including the mainland Chinese ports of Dalian, Qingdao (the next Olympic sailing venue for 2008), Shanghai and Hong Kong and have shared this project with both the media and the public alike at each stopover port, giving talks to school children, businesses and official organisations.

Email from Ellen at the finish:

"Well, I'm sitting here at the chart table once again soaked in sweat; the conditions onboard are not dissimilar from how they were last night, as the humidity is still very high. There is one big difference though - there is little wind and we are motoring. Incredibly, we have crossed our final finish line, and we are on our way into Singapore.

There is a strange atmosphere here onboard, one that is hard to describe. There was no real whoop of celebration as Charlie called out that we had done it from the cabin. I am not sure if it's relief or sadness or possibly both really. This tour has been about the sailing challenges for sure - but also about the people. The crew are just incredible, and as I look into the eyes of each one there is so much that we have been through together. As Loik said earlier, we have had so many challenges, so many vivid images, and so many hurdles. From the thick fog that engulfed us on the leg to Shanghai, to the incredible images that we all witnessed on the Yangtze River. Just the industry and sheer size of the place was so amazing, and such a contrast to the tranquility and sandy beaches around the shores of the islands off Malaysia. The contrast in temperature from the freezing, 35-knot northerly winds off Dalian, to the stifling heat in the boat right now. We have met extraordinary people, from the kids we went sailing with in Qingdao, to the Prime Minister of Malaysia. From the old man who swept the streets in Dalian who asked for an autograph, to the oldest non-stop round the world sailor in Japan. Everything is a blur of culture, people, contrasts, beauty, poverty, luxury and the ocean - the forever-changing ocean…

It's almost unbelievable, and I feel that I have not taken so much of it in, even now as we are heading into the safety of the dock in Singapore. It will only be in time, when we are able to reflect on what we have achieved, that we shall comprehend what we have managed to achieve out here. For now it feels like a mixture between a dream and reality, and we are still in the dream bit so we cannot separate ourselves enough from it all to see the bigger picture.

What I do know, before the rest of my personal reflections have time to mature, is that this tour has been a real test for our whole team. From a logistical to an organisational point of view, as our plans constantly changed at the last minute, to dealing with some incredibly challenging and difficult situations both on the water and on shore. They have been incredible. It has been tough, really tough, and to cope with all this for so long, in such a full-on way has been a massive achievement. I honestly believe that there are few groups of people who could have coped with all this, and not only cope, but manage to keep smiling in some of the most testing situations. If you were not here, it's hard to understand - but I know, and we all know here, it's been an incredible, testing and, in fact, massive experience for all of us.

The thoughts in my head right now go far beyond having sailed the final few record miles. They are more of admiration for the team, as we have finally done it.”

This final leg from Malaysia to Singapore has been the slowest of the entire tour (only averaging 5.94 knots), as the light and shifty winds continued to engulf the trimaran as they sailed southwards along the Malaysian coastline towards the Equator. The last night at sea saw B&Q becalmed on several occasions as they searched in vain for wind to push them south. It was a certainly a leg of contrasts – 0 knots to 19 knots of wind from every direction, thunderstorms and torrential tropical downpours, and the heat has been intense this close to the Equator. Everything, in fact, that Commanders Weather predicted for this region that, in theory, although south of the Doldrums only offers an average wind speed of around 6 knots.

Singaporean Elaine Chua was excited to see the completion of the circuit in her home port. Elaine, who was the first Asian female to race in last year’s Mini Transat race solo across the Atlantic, joined the team in Shanghai, sailing six of the twelve legs of the tour. Racing onboard the 75-foot trimaran has been a very different experience for her: “The opportunity to sail on B&Q with Ellen and her team has been a great experience, it showed me what it takes and what is required to take sailing to the next professional level,” said Elaine who is hoping to break into the world of professional Open 60 sailing in the future.

Singapore is located along the southern tip of Malay Peninsula, 85 miles (136 km) north of the Equator. With an approximate population of 4.35 million, it is just 46 sq miles in size. In just 150 years, Singapore has grown into a thriving centre of commerce and industry and is now one of the busiest ports in the world. Whilst in Singapore B&Q willbe berthed at the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club.

The arrival into Singapore marks the end of the Asian Record Circuit and the team will have a few days to prepare the 75-foot trimaran for her trip back to Europe by ship on board CMA-CGM’s ship Kalamata.

New records established so far: