BT Ellen

Monaco World Yacht Racing Forum

What is BT Team Ellen?

"BT Team Ellen comprises a group of dedicated sailors who are passionate about winning. They race across oceans, take on round the world epics and engage in close inshore combat. But they are also a team who care about the state of the planet they race around, and are striving to live and work in more sustainable ways." ~Ellen MacArthur

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53 Days AgoWorld Yacht Racing Forum

The second edition of the World Yacht Racing Forum finished on 10 December at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. The event was a huge success and the overwhelming feedback from almost 400 delegates was that the World Yacht Racing Forum has established itself as the 'must attend' event for the yacht racing industry. This year, the Forum featured several debates and presentations across all aspects of the business of the sport. Nathalie Quéré, Head of Sponsorship at BT Global Services took part of the debate: 'Leveraging the Sponsorship Deal – How to maximise the Investment' and present the BT Team Ellen project to the attendance. She took the opportunity to say a huge thank you from all at BT for those three years and gave Ellen, Nick and Seb three beautiful paintings while they were all on stage. A unique and emotional moment for everyone in the room!

87 Days AgoRelief at BT Team Ellen HQ as TJV skippers confirmed 'safe and sound'

Having led the fleet since the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the crew of the BT IMOCA 60 suffered a dramatic change in fortune yesterday. After a harrowing eight hour ordeal, BT Team Ellen teammate Sébastien Josse and his co-skipper Jean-François Cuzon were airlifted from the BT yacht at approx 1800GMT yesterday (Friday, 13.11.09) by a Portuguese Air Force helicopter and headed for Lajes Field air base on the Azores island of Terceier. A full salvage operation is now underway to recover the boat. The sad series of events began at 1020GMT yesterday morning when the duo activated their EPIRB distress beacon after suffering catastrophic structural damage caused by the sheer power of the waves. The shore team finally spoke to Sébastien Josse and Jean-François Cuzon last night at 2245 GMT: “I was afraid we'd have to spend the night on a boat that could go under at any moment,” said Jeff Cuzon before handing over to Seb. Sounding exhausted and understandably subdued, Seb relayed their daunting experience: "It was 0930 in the morning and we were near the centre of the depression, which was our best strategy to try to win the race. We were not alone in this spot, we were close with Safran, Veolia Environment and Groupe Bel. We were sailing in 35-40 knots, but sometimes up to 55-58 knots, in the night… We know we have to take care as in the last position report we see we are bit faster so I call to Jeff to reduce headsail. We had three reefs in the mainsail and maybe after one hour, we drop the staysail. I was on watch outside, Jeff inside, and we had a big ‘crack’. It was a wave, just a big wave but one big enough to break the roof. I see half of the roof completely broken with a big hole in the deck and hundreds of litres of water in the boat…there was a lot of water inside the boat. I was really scared if we take a second wave that could sink the boat because two or three waves like that we could be straight under the water. We move the keel to have a lot of heel to protect the boat from the waves and we activated the EPIRB and call the race organization to tell them we are we starting to sink. After that we prepare all the technical gear we need, our survival suits, VHF radio, our food and all that we need for the liferaft to live for a few days. Conditions never stop to decrease…all the day the wind never dropped under 45 knots and really big waves of 8 metre swells which was my biggest concern. After about five hours we have news from the land to know the time of rescue. First a plane came round us then a ship arrived [Ocean Explorer] and Jeff spoke to the ship by VHF. After that it was really quick we see the ship, we see the plane and after that the helicopter arrive. That was a good moment when we knew that we did not have to spend the night on the boat or in the life raft in 45 knots of wind. The heli just had 20 mins left of fuel so he stay with us for 8-10 mins to look how he can recover us and after he tell us by signal to jump in water. Jeff went first and after he was on board the helico, they did a second turn and he did the same for me, so in total 18 minutes to recover us. It is not a good feeling to lose a boat like that in the water." A tugboat is now on standby and every effort will be made to salvage the boat. For more information, visit www.btsebjosse.com

128 Days AgoEllen continues her work with BT Team Ellen

BT Team Ellen skipper Ellen MacArthur appeared on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs today telling host, Kirsty Young, that "there is a part of me that wants that record back but something's stopping me do it," in response to Young's question if Ellen would try to retain the solo round the world record which she set in 2005 and which Frenchman Francis Joyon then reclaimed. As Ellen explained on the show, her passion for the sea is just as strong as ever but equally her passion for sustainability is very much at the heart of her activities: "After being on South Georgia, the more I researched, the more frightened I got. And that has scared me to the point where I can't go back to sea and go round the world again because this really matters." For the last three and half years, Ellen has headed up the BT Team Ellen campaign competing in sailing events but also working closely with BT on CSR and sustainability projects. The BT Team Ellen sailing project concludes after the team's next major race coming up in November which will see Sébastien Josse and Jean Francois Cuzon compete in the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre, and Ellen will be in the start port of Le Havre to see them leave as she continues her work with BT on shore. Putting in context some reports that she has quit the ocean for good, Ellen concluded: "My love for sailing is as strong as it has ever been; from the age of 4 I have dreamt about it and been fascinated by it. The sea for me brings the most incredible feeling of freedom, and never ceases to amaze me. But a life at sea has opened my eyes to things I did not expect too; things which once I had learnt I could not ignore. This is why at present I am focussing my time on this, and If I manage to communicate what I have learned, then I shall be the first person to be off to sea again! I miss the long periods at sea hugely, but for now I feel I have something more important to do."

129 Days AgoEllen is guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs

Tomorrow, Sunday 4 October, at 11.15 (BST, GMT+1) Ellen will be Kirsty Young's castaway on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs programme. Listeners can tune in on 92 to 94 FM and 198 Long Wave to hear Ellen's favourite records and about how she is still passionate about sailing, whether it is sailing with BT Team Ellen, with the children with cancer and leukaemia who sail with the Ellen MacArthur Trust or just for pleasure, but that her ambition now is to try to find a way of living the same sustainable existence on land that she lives at sea. The programme will also be repeated on Friday 9th October at 0900 hours (BST, GMT+1).

140 Days AgoNew video ...

Check out the sum up video of the Ellen Macarthur Trust Skandia Round britain Voyage of Discovery in the multimedia section !

146 Days AgoAn emotional homecoming for Scarlet Oyster

132 days after having set sail from Cowes on the Isle of Wight, the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage returned to their original starting post today, completing their circumnavigation of Britain and bringing to an end the experience of a lifetime for the young crew members. The first Voyage of its kind to be completed around Britain was welcomed home by a host of friends, family and supporters. Read full story below...

181 Days AgoBT IMOCA 60 on a roll!...

We have just received the excellent news that my fellow BT Team Ellen skipper Seb Josse and his co-skipper Jean-François Cuzon have just won their class in the Rolex Fastnet Race - amazing considering they were battling against 10 other boats, most of them fully-crewed! Go BT Team Ellen! BT crossed the finish line of the 2009 Fastnet Race in first place at 05:00:15 BST this morning (Wednesday 12.8.09) approximately 8 miles ahead of Artemis Ocean Racing in a time of 2 days, 17 hours, 0 mins and 15 secs. This is a fantastic result for Seb Josse and Jean-François Cuzon who have pushed hard all the way round the 608-mile course to the finish line off Plymouth (UK). The duo sparred for the lead from the start with the other fully crewed IMOCA crews and finally took the lead yesterday afternoon which they held to the finish. Speaking just a few minutes after crossing the finish line in Plymouth, Seb's delight was obvious: "That's great! There is two absolutely happy man onboard BT this morning! It has been a really good race, a close battle with the five leading boats and really good sailing conditions. This first place secures our hopes and objectives for the Transat Jacques Vabre. BT is a fast boat, Jeff and I are doing really well together onboard and our motivation has never been so high!".

188 Days AgoBT - Winner of the Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week

Ellen joined fellow BT Team Ellen skipper Seb Josse on the BT IMOCA 60 which took first place, ahead of Pindar in second and Artemis The Profit Hunter in third, in the annual Artemis Challenge at Cowes Week. BT scooped £10,000 for their nominated charity, the Ellen MacArthur Trust. The Ellen MacArthur Trust takes young people aged between 8-18 sailing to help them regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness. Ellen commented "It is so fantastic to not only have had a great result in the Artemis Challenge but to have won this amazing prize which will mean that we can take more young people out on the water with the Ellen MacArthur Trust. A massive thanks to Artemis."

194 Days AgoGearing up for Cowes Week...

Ellen had a fantastic start to the month joining Nick Moloney and his crew onboard the BT Extreme 40 in Hyeres for a 10-mile warm-up race to the spectacular island of Porquerolles ahead of Round 2 of the iShares Cup. While there, Ellen took the opportunity to visit a local Renault garage to see how they are making a real effort to re-use and recycle all the materials needed for car maintenance. At the iShares Cup village, she had a lesson with an instructor who gave her tips on how to drive more efficiently and had a go on Renault's eco-driving simulator to see how well she was doing and find out what improvements she could make. Ellen also visited Omega's boutique in Cannes, the oldest of their concessions outside Switzerland where she joined guests including the Internazionale and ex-Arsenal footballer Patrick Vieira. The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery has now reached Scotland where Ellen's public talks in Inverness and Glasgow proved very popular with standing room only! In Glasgow, she was presented with the Instructor badge by the Scout Association having been voted for by scouts all across the UK - she is in good company as last year’s winners included Ewan McGregor (travel) and The Stig from Top Gear! Ellen also members of the local Glasgow Warriors rugby team and gave them a word of support for the season ahead. Ellen is now looking forward to a busy Cowes Week with lots of corporate sailing planned and joining fellow BT Team Ellen teammate Seb Josse for the Artemis Challenge, a 50-mile race for the IMOCA 60 class on Wednesday.

208 Days AgoEllen on the road...

The Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery has now reached Scotland where Ellen gave a talk in Inverness at a packed Caledonian Thistle Football Club (standing room only!). Ellen then went on to spend some time with the crew of "Scarlet Oyster" which was berthed at Inverness marina and joined in some of the activities for their official opening which included sea kayaking, dinghy sailing, a climbing wall and demonstrations by the RNLI and Coastguard service and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. The next "Audience with Ellen" will take place in Glasgow on 27th July at The Institute of Engineering and Technology in St Enoch Square from 6.30 to 7.30 p.m. For more information, please visit www.roundbritain.org and go on to the "An Audience with Ellen" page.

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An emotional homecoming for Scarlet Oyster12 September 2009

A warm welcome expected for Ellen and Scarlet Oyster crew at PSP Boat Show10 September 2009

At 1015 tomorrow, Ellen and the crew of Scarlet Oyster will sail into the Southampton Boat Show, the penultimate stopover on the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain Voyage of Discovery. She will dock at Berth 525 and all crew members...

A nostalgic return to Falmouth31 August 2009

Ellen is returning to Falmouth today for the first time since her triumphant arrival with trimaran B&Q at the end of her round the world record attempt in 2005. Following sell-out talks in Liverpool and Cardiff, Ellen will be speaking to...

BT IMOCA 60 Win the Artemis Challenge ...7 August 2009

On Sunday (9th August) at midday, Sébastien Josse and Jean François Cuzon will take the start of the famous Fastnet Race – this edition marks the 30th anniversary of the tragic 1979 race, although the forecast for the 2009 Fastnet looks...

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A brighter, more sustainable future...25 March 2009

Like BT, Ellen believes passionately that better communication can help create a better, more sustainable...

SAILING CV23 April 2008

Ellen first came to general prominence in 2001 when she came second in the Vendée Globe solo round-the-world sailing race in her boat Kingfisher, and subsequently...