Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur hit the headlines in 2001 after single-handedly sailing around the world in the Vendée Globe race. At 18, she sailed single-handed round Britain and won the BT/YJA Young Sailor of the Year award for being the youngest person to pass her Yachtsmasters Offshore Qualification. In 1997, Ellen undertook the Mini Transat solo race from Brest in France to Martinique in the French Caribbean. With little money she went to France, bought a 21ft yacht, learned French and refitted the boat on site. She then sailed 2,700 miles across the Atlantic, completing in 33 days. This led to her first major sponsorship from Kingfisher plc when she raced a 50ft boat in the 1998 Route du Rhum transatlantic race. Ellen won in her class and finishing fifth overall in the monohulls.

Before becoming a household name in Britain, Ellen became a heroine in France, where she has been named 'La Jeune Espoire de la Voile' or ‘sailing's young hope’! She was named Dame Ellen at Buckingham Palace by the Queen in 2005.

Ellen holds five WSSRC (World Sailing Speed Racing Council) ratified speed records including the solo round the world record in a time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds set in 2005 onboard a 75ft trimaran.

Ellen established the Ellen MacArthur Trust in 2003 that takes young people sailing to help them regain their confidence, on their way to recovery from cancer, leukaemia and other serious illness.

Awards

•  Ellen holds five WSSRC ratified speed records including the solo round the world record in a time of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, 33 seconds
• MBE awarded at Buckingham Palace by the Queen 2001
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001 Runner-Up
• Sunday Times Woman of the Year 2001
• DBE awarded at Buckingham Palace by the Queen 2005
• Time Magazine 100 Heroes & Icons 2005
• Laureus Sports Awards 2005
• BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2005 Runner-Up
• Voted Favourite European by French public 2006

Some interesting facts

• Out of the five major solo ocean races during the campaign, Ellen has won three (Route du Rhum 1998/2002 and The Transat in 2001 – formerly the Europe 1 New Man Star] plus a second place in the non-stop round the world Vendée Globe race 2000/01.
• Number of months at sea alone: 12.5
• Number of miles sailed by Ellen over the last decade: estimated in excess of 245,000 nautical miles – approximately 10 times around the world
• Number of television viewers of the finish of Ellen’s solo round the world record across UK, France, Germany totalling around 90 million

Sébastien Josse

Age: 32
Status: single
Lives: Concarneau, France

At only 32, Sébastien already has a very impressive track record and a real international stature. A product of the famous Figaro single-handed class, he quickly moved on to Open 60s and threatened the “rock stars” in the 2004 Vendée Globe before hitting a growler (part of a broken iceberg), an incident that compromised his chances of stepping on the podium. Nevertheless, the determined and cheerful “Jojo” managed to finish in 5th position of what was his first single-handed non-stop round-the-world race. In 2002, he had been part of Bruno Peyron’s Orange crew, capturing the Jules Verne Trophy in 64 days – the skipper of the mighty maxi-catamaran couldn’t find words that were strong enough to express how great a crewman Sébastien was! The young man’s third round-the-world journey was to be a major step in his career, since he had been appointed skipper of ABN AMRO 2 for the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race. Being in charge of the Dutch team’s “young” crew, Sébastien went on to challenge the race’s favorites, among which one could find legendary names such as Paul Cayard or Bouwe Bekking, and broke the 24-hrs monohull record with an impressive 562.96 miles run that still holds today. But Josse really gained the admiration of his peers when a put on an amazing display of seamanship in the same race, rescuing the Movistar crew from their sinking ship. This enthusiastic and intuitive competitor will be a strong contender in the 2008/09 solo Vendée Globe. This winter Sébastian is competing in the double-handed, non-stop round the world race called the Barcelona World Race departing on 11th November with previous Vendée Globe winner, Vincent Riou.

Sailing CV
2006 – 4th place in the Volvo Ocean Race, ABN AMRO 2 (skipper)
2006 – 24-hours fully crewed monohull record (562,96 nm, still stands)
2005 – 5th place in the Vendée Globe
2003 – Winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race (IMOCA division)
2002 – Winner of the Trophée Jules Verne (RTW absolute record), maxi-catamaran Orange
2001 – 2nd place in the Solitaire du Figaro

Nick Moloney

Born: 5th May 1968 (Australia)
Age: 39
Status: married to Flavie (French Nationality)
Lives: Grew up on the South Coast of Victoria Australia and manages to reside for 4 months every year. In Europe, Nick and Flavie live in the village of Saint-Lunaire, Brittany, France.

As a junior sailor, Nick achieved great successes at state and national level. By the age of 21 he was swept up into the International ‘A’ league and found himself living in San Diego USA competing for sporting’s oldest trophy ‘The Americas Cup’ in 1992 and again in 1995.

Held over 10 individual world speed records including furthest distance travelled in a 24 hour period by a sailing mono hull and the out right Round the World non-stop speed record.

Guinness World Record holder for first and still the only person to Windsurf non-stop and un-assisted across Bass Strait from mainland Australia to the Island State Tasmania. 22 hours 11 minutes.

Circumnavigated the globe 3 times in the 3 great disciplines:
1) with a crew in stages, Volvo Ocean Race 1997-98
2) non stop outright speed record Jules Verne Record 2002 onboard Orange skippered by Bruno Peyron and with team mate Sébastian Josse
3) Around the world Solo 2004-05 Vendee Globe Race - completed in two stages after total keel failure on day 80 of the 95 day voyage. Returned ten months later to Brazil and completed the journey in December 2005.

20 TransAtlantic Crossings, winning 5 Trans-Atlantic races both crewed and solo.

Author of 'Chasing the Dawn' a book based on outright world speed record experience.

Awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for services to sport of sailing

Other Extreme 40 crew this season include:
• Darren Bundock & Glenn Ashby (AUS) : currently ranked world number one in the Tornado class and will compete at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
• Hugh Styles : Tornado Olympic sailor