Victory For Ellen MacArthur And "Kingfisher"

Photo gallery: Victory for Ellen MacArthur and "Kingfisher"

holmi
holmi

There are only two major single-handed transatlantic regattas at all. The Europe 1 Newman Star from England to the US and the Route du Rhum from France's Brittany to the Caribbean. And both of them were won by the same phenomenal person with the same monohull.

From "Lpetite Anglaise", the "Little Englishwoman" Ellen MacArthur, as the 25-year-old is called in France, the "Kingfisher" sails. The current superstar of solo sailing has now finally won a place in the gallery of honor for extreme sailors with his victory at the Route du Rhum.

And she fought. After all, fellow countryman Mike Golding was MacArthur's intimate enemy during the Atlantic sprint, which is 3546 nautical miles, measured on the great circle. And fighting Golding is not easy. Only a fateful mast break on the start day of the last Vendée Globe Challenge had prevented him from sailing at the top of the field - like MacArtuhr.

"Once I couldn't see the deck from the top of the mast, it was raining so hard," reports the Briton, who, as a former firefighter, is used to heights of heights and toughness. Golding had to go up the mast several times during the Route du Rhum to unclear unclear spinnakers. In the big downwind game of Golding's Finot Open 60 "Ecover", however, things went wrong. He was only able to hide the large cloth in strips - on MacArthur's "Kingfisher", however, the sail was still intact.

MacArthur also had to go up the mast several times. However, her beloved boat remained largely intact and she was able to continue to accelerate. Also due to the loss of the big Spis at Golding, MacArthur was able to overtake "Ecover" five days before Guadeloupe and held the lead to the finish.

"Kingfisher" only felt about 45 knots of wind from the storm "Sylvia". Other boats that were in a different quadrant of the eddy had to face gusts of 80 knots. The Kiel weather router Dr. Meeno Schrader had advised MacArthur to choose this northern route.

An overwhelming reception awaited MacArthur in Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe. Thousands of spectators lined the banks, stood on roofs and shouted the name of the skipper. No wonder: never in the history of the Route du Rhum was a monohull the first to cross the finish line. Mike Golding followed a few hours later.

The multihull division was won by Michel Desjoyeaux from Brittany. All the big multinationals started 24 hours later than the monos. However, due to a technical stop at Madeir, Desjoyeaux was no longer able to catch up with the leading monohulls. Desjoyeaux's new "Géant" is one of only three Orma trimarans that have survived this year's Route du Rhum at all. In the Passat, Steve Ravussin and "Technomarine" were supposedly unattainable in the lead when the Swiss man's vehicle capsized.

"My victory was only possible because another participant made a serious careless mistake. We shouldn't forget that," said the winner after his arrival. With his victory at the Route du Rhum, the Breton should be the most successful single-handed sailor of all time. He has won the legendary Figaro race twice and the Vendée Globe Challenge on the first attempt.

Consistency and attention to detail have always been the hallmarks of Desjoyeaux's campaigns. Anyone who watched his preparations for the Vendée Globe Challenge immediately marked him as a favorite. And got right in the end. He has now entered the multihull scene with the same modest care. "Géant" was the last tri of the 60-foot class that was only finished shortly before the Route du Rhum. Desjoyeaux did not speak of victories. Or rather, just incidentally: "Our goal is to arrive. Because only those who arrive can also win." The Route du Rhum newcomer has stayed true to this motto. He even made a technical stop at Madeir to repair his mainsail and check "Géants" structure. That cost him 15 hours. And the chance to catch up with MacArthur. However, this rather defensive sounding motto brought the Breton another important victory.

The record that Laurent Bourgnon set in 1998 with "Primagaz" (now "RexonMen") could not be broken. After 13 days, 7 hours, 53 minutes he was at the finish. MacArthur, however, broke the course record in the monohull category, which had been set in 1994 by the French Yves Parlier with "Cacolac d'Aquitaine". She undercut him by almost two days, sailing across the pond in 13 days, 13 hours, 31 minutes and 47 seconds. Even if the "Little Englishwoman" was the first to sail her yacht over the finish line: The fastest time on the Route du Rhum in 2002 was the Frenchman Michel Desjoyeaux. Both sailors have become icons thanks to their victories.