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Forget Ellen, I'm the new Queen of the seas
by Rachel Broady10/ 3/2005
I FAIL to see how Ellen MacArthur contributed anything of real
worth to the world.
OK, she is the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world
in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds. I see that this is
terribly clever achievement - but why would anyone except Ellen
MacArthur and boat enthusiasts care?
Her trip was described as a "gruelling voyage" and as
"excruciatingly difficult" and she was made a Dame as soon as she
touched dry land - but no one has ever praised me for braving the
last train home from Blackpool on a Saturday night; a far scarier
journey.
And it was all so emotional. We were expected to empathise as Ellen
cried into the camera that she was exhausted, lonely or wished she
was home for Christmas but all I could think was, "just pack up and
go home, love".
Sadly, it was this bitterness that made my editor decide I was
perfect for the Mission to sail a boat at Debdale Outdoor Centre
where you can go kayaking, power boating, canoeing or, if you
prefer, climbing on dry land.
Andy Jones, the centre's sailing instructor, was to be my team and
I soon realised that, as well as loving the sport (he misses the
Eastenders omnibus to compete!), he also admires Ellen
MacArthur.
He said: "On my first sail I thought, `this is for me'. The sound
of the water, the spray, the wind in your face, the sheer
exhilaration.
"I have nothing but admiration for Ellen MacArthur. Knowing the
little I do about the sport, in comparison to her, and knowing what
she managed, I think she's fantastic."
Andy's excitement for sailing continued through the safety
instructions; the only rule of which I remember is to not eat
sweets while sailing because you'll choke if you go in the water.
Choking and drowning, this was getting better!
I was given a wet suit to wear over my underwear, then a fleece, a
waterproof jacket, a buoyancy jacket and a fetching woolly hat. As
I left the changing room I ignored the group of children whispering
to each other, "I'm not wearing that!"
I couldn't copy Ellen's cheery chipmunk manner as I boarded the
boat because, unlike her, I'm terrified of water.
There was a lot of rope pulling, ducking and steering of an udder
involved and, as long as the boat didn't go too fast or tip too
close to the water, I felt fine. In fact, it was great fun. There
were also a lot of technical terms and "ready about" was yelled a
few times but once I found the rhythm and learned how to turn the
boat and keep it in a straight line I really felt I was getting the
hang of it. Even the fear of falling into the freezing cold lake
subsided.
As I handled the boat with a lack of grace, I thought of Ellen
making those hasty repairs as Andy set about tidying the mast. I
thought of how she battled high winds as our boat sailed smoothly.
And I thought of her close encounter with a whale as I avoided two
swans and a duck.
My efforts may not have been quite as heroic or dramatic but Andy
was suitably impressed and after the trip he excitedly told me I
was "a natural".
"You should take it up as a sport," he gushed. "For your first time
sailing, and in a performance boat, you did exceptionally well.
That boat is a handful and you managed it."
Well, it would seem I have more in common with Ellen MacArthur than
I would like. I don't think I'll be sailing around the world yet,
but I will let my hair grow.
For information on activities at Debdale Outdoor Centre
call 0161 223 5182
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