Ellen update

Qualified for Transat; trimaran progressing well in Aus

With crews taking part in November Transat Jacques Vabre heavily into countdown mode now, so Ellen MacArthur and Alain Gautier have completed their compulsory 1,000 mile qualifier, prior to the trimaran start of the 5,190 mile race to Brazil on 2 November.

"It was awesome to sail with Alain again and we instantly found the same connection we had before when sailing together so it was a real pleasure to do that again.," commented Ellen. "Understandably, we were very pleased we made it through the qualifier without any damage. We had some fairly big conditions out there from 20 knots of wind speed averaging over 30 knots for fairly long periods of time so it was a really good test for us. We didn't have any majors with the boat apart from no electrics as the alternators went swimming, so for three-quarters of the qualifier we were without power but it gave us some good practice single-handing.

"We had to hand-steer for the majority of time as we had no autopilot so it was pretty exhausting. We left last weekend and returned two days and 20 hours later back in to Lorient and a smiling shore team! We basically completed a triangle course down to Finnistere out into the Atlantic then 450 miles back to Lorient. We now have some key things to work on including the mainsail, sorting the electrics and comms. The boats in good shape and, thankfully, there is nothing major to do.

"It is just fantastic to be doing the Transat Jacques Vabre again - we came pretty close to winning it last time but gear failure in the final stages of the race meant we finished second. Racing in the ORMA fleet is a crucial part of part of our build-up programme to racing the new 75-foot B&Q trimaran solo next year as well as keeping in touch with the ORMA competition for the future."

Meanwhile Ellen's new Nigel Irens-design B&Q trimaran is coming together to the north of Sydney. The primary components including the main hull, floats and beams are complete while the smaller components are in full production - satellite communication domes, trampoline tracks, float crash boxes, rudder boxes, runner bulkheads and window moulds: "She is really developing a character and I can feel a strong connection with her..." says Ellen.

"Progress of the trimaran is just great and I can't wait to get back out there next week. She is really developing a character and I can feel a strong connection with her. Soon we will start moving the components to Glebe on the outskirts of Sydney to start the assembly process - it feels like we can see the end of the road. Now it's all the difficult, finicky jobs that have to be completed before we start thinking about putting all the hardware on and fitting all the electronics which is a huge task - these jobs are now only weeks away instead of months - it's going to be pretty full on. After the Transat Jacques Vabre, I will head out to Australia full-time for the launch on the opening day of the Schroders London Boat Show on 8 January.