ELLEN MACARTHUR est une navigatrice britannique. Elle devient populaire en terminant deuxième du Vendée Globe 2000-2001, puis en battant le record du tour du monde à la voile en solitaire en 2005. Anoblie par la reine Élisabeth II, elle devient Dame Ellen MacArthur. Elle est décorée de la Légion d'Honneur en 2008 par le Président français Nicolas Sarkozy.
En 2009, elle crée la fondation Ellen MacArthur, qui a pour objectif d’inciter le public et les entreprises à repenser, concevoir et construire un avenir durable en s'appuyant sur le concept d'économie circulaire.
En septembre 1997, ELLEN MACARTHUR participe à la Mini-Transat au départ de Brest, seule femme et plus jeune concurrent engagé pour cette traversée de l'Atlantique.
En 1998, elle est désignée « Marin de l'année » par la Royal Yachting Association, après son premier grand voyage en solitaire, sur Iduna (British Telecom).
Elle arrive deuxième du Vendée Globe 2000-2001 sur Kingfisher à seulement 24 ans, puis obtient le prix Monique Berlioux, décerné par l'Académie des sports, en 2000.
Le 23 novembre 2002 elle remporte la route du Rhum en monocoque sur Kingfisher.
En 2003, avec Alain Gautier sur Foncia, elle chavire. La même année, elle fonde l'association Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, dans le but de faire naviguer des enfants malades.
Elle parle le français et Anglais couramment. Sur ses bateaux, on pouvait lire la phrase : « À donf », qui est resté son expression favorite.
Sur un multicoque de 75 pieds (23 mètres de long), le trimaran B&Q/Castorama, elle bat dans la nuit du 7 au 8 février 2005 le record du tour du monde à la voile en solitaire (détenu jusque-là par Francis Joyon), en 71 jours 14 heures 18 minutes et 33 secondes, soit une moyenne de 16,2 nœuds sur 27 354 milles (50 660 km).
Le 27 avril, un titre de chevalerie lui est attribué par la reine Élisabeth II : elle devient dame commandeur de l'ordre de l'Empire britannique (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire).
Après sa visite de la station baleinière de Géorgie du Sud, en 2006, elle accentue son effort, de par sa notoriété, en faveur de la promotion du développement durable.
Le 27 mars 2008, au deuxième jour de sa visite d'État au Royaume-Uni, le président français Nicolas Sarkozy remet à Ellen MacArthur les insignes de chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, lors d'une cérémonie à l’ancien collège naval de Greenwich.
Le 31 août 2010, à l'âge de 34 ans, Ellen McArthur annonce qu'elle met fin à sa carrière sportive.
MacArthur is a successful 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, was able to recover the record again in early 2008.
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, sustainable development, the environment and ecology.
ELLEN MACARTHUR's passionate relationship with sailing began when she was eight and stepped aboard her aunt's boat to go sailing
on the East Coast.
For a petite child growing up in Whatstandwell in land-locked Derbyshire, it was an exciting new experience - and it would turn into a lifelong obsession.
Over the next few years, ELLEN MACARTHUR saved as much money she could to buy her first boat, an 8ft dinghy.
ELLEN MACARTHUR admits becoming 'a geek' spending nearly all her time reading sailing books at local libraries and trying to
learn as much about the subject as possible.
Ellen MacArthur's plans of becoming a vet hit the buffers thanks to a bout of glandular fever whilst in the sixth form, so she resolved instead to become a professional sailor.
Her career started with Ellen sailing single-handedly around Britain - an achievement which brought her the title of BT/JYA Young Sailor of the Year.
ELLEN MACARTHUR also passed the Yachts-master Offshore Qualification with the highest possible marks in practical and theory
examinations. Things were going well.
Despite such promise, Ellen found it hard to attract sponsorship to take her career to the next stage. Out of 2,500 letters to potential sponsors, she received just two replies. In fact, she was
so poor she had to make her home a Portokabin during this desperate time!
Eventually, Ellen MacArthur managed to raise enough money of her own steam to buy a used 21-ft Classe Mini.
ELLEN MACARTHUR refitted the boat and raced it alone across the Atlantic in the 1997 Mini Transat race, completing the
2,700-mile journey in 33 days.
This achievement brought sponsorship from the giant retail group Kingfisher who funded her move to an Open 50 yacht which she entered in the gruelling Route Du Rhum race in 1998.
A strong effort from Ellen saw her finish first in her class and fifth overall - a performance which led to her being named BT/JYA Yachtsman of the Year.
It was also at this time that French sailing fans took Ellen to their hearts, giving her the official title 'Sailing's Young Hope. Since then, Ellen has enjoyed huge support in France, where
sailing has a much bigger following than in England.
Kingfisher were impressed and backed Ellen to the tune of £2 million to enter the 2000/01 Vendee Globe with a brand new Open 60 boat - or Kingfisher as it was more commonly known.
This was another moment of truth for Ellen. If she did well, it would undoubtedly give her career a further boost, but if she failed it could set her back years.
ELLEN MACARTHUR needn't have worried. As before, Ellen MacArthur exceeded all expectations in the challenge.
Those who had predicted the 5ft slip of a girl would struggle against muscular male opponents were silenced as Ellen finished the challenge ahead of all but one of her male counterparts - making
headlines around the world.
Her achievements led to recognition in one of the most prestigious sport awards - she was voted second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001, an incredible achievement considering the
awards are usually dominated by more mainstream sports.
But ELLEN MACARTHUR wasn't finished. In November 2002, she tackled the gruelling Route du Rhum once again - this time finishing
first and breaking a number of records on the way.
Not only was she the first woman to sail to victory in the race, she also captained the first monohull to cross the line