Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur

Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born 8 July 1976) is a retired British sailor, from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in West Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Dame Ellen is best known as a solo long-distance yachtswoman. On 7 February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe, a feat which gained her international renown. Francis Joyon, the Frenchman who had held the record before MacArthur, recovered the record again in early 2008, beating MacArthur's record by nearly two weeks. Following her retirement from professional sailing on 2 September 2010, MacArthur announced the launch of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity that works with business and education to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.