Ellen across the Pacific

Drama as the crew of Castorama B&Q have to change a rudder

It has been five days since Ellen's 75ft Castorama B&Q trimaran left Auckland to start
her delivery trip back to Europe via the Falkland Islands. On board is Ellen MacArthur, plus boat captain Loik Gallon and Mark Thomas who are sailing with Ellen as far as the Falkland Islands. From there, she will embark on first solo voyage on board the custom-made trimaran that has been designed and constructed with one objective: to try and set new solo speed sailing records.

As with any new, hi-tech boats the first days of offshore sailing have presented their challenges but the overall feeling from on board is one of immense relief. "It's so great to be out here again, tackling little problems, sleeping hearing the water rushing past her hulls, and just being at sea again," Ellen recounted from on board. "I feel like I'm back in my element. Very happy - albeit very tired, and more than any other feeling - feeling so very, very lucky..."

48 hours ago "a sudden bang" on board revealed the tip (20cm) of the rudder on the starboard float had been snapped off after an impact with a submerged object. It took less than an hour for the crew to replace the rudder with a spare carried on board for just such an eventuality. Ellen has also had her first trip up the mast after the genoa head lashing broke at the top of the furler. They reefed down and hoisted the small jib as the repairs were made and after two hours they were back on course.

B&Q Castorama left Auckland in a high pressure zone that moved east with them for the first 48 hours. As the trimaran progresses eastwards and south, both the breeze and the seaway has begun to build as the pressure slowly but surely starts to drop. B&Q Castorama at 1200GMT was 48 degrees south and 156 west having covered 1400 miles with approximately 3100 miles to go to Cape Horn. Conditions on board are getting cold both as air and sea temperatures drop.

Ellen writes from on board: "Looks like the sky may well be grey for a while now... There is more breeze moving in behind us now - we have about 30 knots from wnw - and the pressure is slowly but surely falling. We looked at a gybe today - but I think that we'll carry on port for a while... With the wind coming in stronger from the northwest I don't want to find that we're running downwind and heading into the ice! A bit of runway could well be prudent!

"I'm pretty much out of the watch system, and the guys are running three hours on/off
from 1800Z to 0600Z, and then four on four off from 0600 to 1800. Food seems very good, and no-one going hungry! The charging systems are all OK - we're charging three to four times a day - each time for an hour...which feels great.

The albatross are fantastic! We had eight with us yesterday, and they were just stunning... Really beautiful with long almost fragile looking wings, but huge... Not sure what they thought to Mark's Aussi music - but it does seem that 'Powderfinger' brought the biggest crowd!

We're easing into the sailing - not pushing too hard - and just easing her up when we feel that she's really loading. Little by little we want to progress, not forgetting that this is just her delivery trip..."

Speak later,
ellen x