Ellen MacArthur

Dame Ellen MacArthur is an English retired sailor, born in 1976 in Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire. She came to prominence in 2001 as the youngest competitor to finish the Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race, taking second place in the yacht Kingfisher in 94 days. In February 2005 she broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation, sailing the trimaran B&Q/Castorama 27,354 nautical miles in 71 days, 14 hours and 18 minutes, a record she held until early 2008. She retired from professional sailing in September 2010 and launched the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity that works with business and education to promote a circular economy.