Mark Turner

Ellen's Project Director discusses their plans for the future, life, the universe, etc...

Ellen, inundated with press from France, the UK and around the world at the end of the Vendee Globe

With the Vendee Globe out of the way, some semblance of a breathing space this year, Turner and Ellen are about to put Offshore Challenges, the company they set up prior to the Mini Transat, through a metamorphosis with the establishment of the 'Offshore Challenges Sailing Team'.

"We have a five year plan as a company which doesn't revolve purely around Ellen's sailing and sponsorship needs," explains Turner. "We are developing what is the Offshore Challenges Sailing Team, so in five years time, we may have four, five or six managed sailors who may be singlehanded sailors or people in very different parts of the sport. We are looking for quality people put together with quality sponsors with the whole relationship managed by Offshore Challenges."

Aside from her sailing schedule Ellen will play an active role on the business side of the company, utilising all the lessons she has learned on the hard road she and Turner have trodden over the last years.

The reason for growing the company Turner stresses is not to cash in and get rich. "We had a massive amount of opportunity after the Vendee Globe from a purely commercial point of view, 95% of which we turned down," he says, Indeed Ellen has never shown the slightest interest in personal financial gain - although to be fair she has recently bought a house in Cowes and has a mortgage.

"Ellen hasn't changed about this nor has her view on the commercialisation of her success," Turner explains. "Within given parameters and sensible guidelines from an image point of view and just morally how we feel about it, we certainly want to develop our business with it, but the exploitation of her success that we want to carry out is one which enables us to bring other people up to the start line of the Vendee or other races and we can only do that if we have got the funds to do it and can take the risks." In short, they want to help up and coming professional sailors get off to an easier start than they did, and not to live on the floor of a Portacabin in Hamble for years. Having a stronger company will enable them to step in and help.

While Offshore Challenges are keen to help young sailors, the reality is that at present there are precious few teenagers who have shown a serious desire to follow in Ellen's footsteps. In the UK the reasons for this may be cultural. The RYA is entirely geared up for pushing Youth Squad sailors towards the Olympics, but not towards offshore or shorthanded racing (although those interested should check out the RYA SOLO website).

"I think what the RYA have done with the Olympics has been fantastic and the results are clear," says Turner. "Unfortunately in the rest of the sport there are not many avenues for people to take other than just toughing it out or knowing the right people. When a professional sailor is motivated to step out on their own as opposed to being one of the crew or one of the paid hands there are few supporting bodies to enable them to do that. It's never been the RYA's drive to do that nor any other body."