Ellen MacArthur

When 26-year-old Ellen MacArthur became the fastest woman to sail around the world, it was the culmination of years of hard work. Her achievements led to recognition and she was voted second in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2001.

Ellen's passionate relationship with sailing began when she was eight and stepped aboard her aunts 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.