What are peoples opinions on MacArthur's stupendous efforts during her round-the-world record bid?

I imagine that quite a lot of people may think it's all a bit pointless but I have to say, I think it's quite remarkable and I have great respect for her courage and fortitude.

Will she get the record?

Hi Lickszz
Have a look at this very brave lady's web site, from where you can keep up to date with all the latest from her epic journey.

http://www.teamellen.com/ellen-en.html

Well Ellen is almost over the line, what an achievement :clap: :clap: :clap:

Yes indeed. Very brave woman. :thumbsup:

Well Just 30 minutes to go (ETA) and I would have to agree what an achievement this is. It puts the 'achievements' of so called professional football players into a real context IMO. Just saw an interview she did before she started an she seemed real negative about the whole thing and wouldnt really admit she had a chance of beating the record. I suppose this shows what an effort it really has been.

Saddest thing of all is whats going to dominate the back pages tommorow - Ellen MacArthur or Malcolm Glazer and the scum? I think I know :(

Think its wonderfull she's fantastic,
found the website earlier today wish i'd found it sooner its fab

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

If she was a bloke, she would have 'em' as big as 'BusterGonad'!.

I take my hat off to the lass......Well done Ellen :thumbsup:

She just finished. Well done.:clap: :clap:

Well Done Ellen :clap: :clap:

Brilliant stuff, I have been watching her progress on her site for most of the time she's been out there and at times she looked all in, I bet she wont get much sleep tonight though..lol. There will be a hell of a party in Derbyshire tonight :clap:

Well done Ellen!
A true british hero!!!

Should ellen macarthur be made a dame?

In my opinion, yes. after all they made kelly holmes one and all she did was win a couple of gold medals

dave

In the Judy Dench sense or the Les Dawson sense?

Who's bothered? Yes she's obviously done well, but does anyone really care? It's not an achievement 99% of the population can relate to in any way.

I'd also suggest Miss Holmes' achievement is the greater.

now all she needs to make it complete is a well deserved damehood or whatever its called :) after all kelly holmes got one for a mere 2 gold medals

dave

It's a great feat of endurance to be sure, but I was kind of defalted by the fact that the last person to break the record did so only last year. Even as the footage of her reaching the French lighthouse was being shown this morning, I couldn't help but think that someone somewhere must be in the middle of preparing to make another attempt to break the record once more.

Originally posted by alchemist
Should ellen macarthur be made a dame?

In my opinion, yes. after all they made kelly holmes one and all she did was win a couple of gold medals

dave

Depends whether you agree about giving Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave or David Beckham knighthoods. In my opinion the New Years Honours are a farce. Knighthoods should be bestowed upon those who have made measurable and valuable contributions to the country. Kicking a football around a pitch = valuable contribution. Uh.... no.

IMHO they should save the knighthoods for charity workers and volunteers but not footballers with over-inflated salaries and egos.

Well done Ellen :clap: :clap:

A local lass and a woman too. :banana: :banana:

It can't get much better than that.

Be made a Dame? No, I don't believe in all that tosh.

Originally posted by Mo
Well done Ellen :clap: :clap:

A local lass and a woman too. :banana: :banana:

It can't get much better than that.

I am with you on that Mo, the only thing that I would like to know is how a lass from Derbyshire can be so damned good at sailing:thumbsup:

Make her a Dame.

Originally posted by JonJParr
Depends whether you agree about giving Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave or David Beckham knighthoods. In my opinion the New Years Honours are a farce. Knighthoods should be bestowed upon those who have made measurable and valuable contributions to the country. Kicking a football around a pitch = valuable contribution. Uh.... no.

IMHO they should save the knighthoods for charity workers and volunteers but not footballers with over-inflated salaries and egos.

I sort of agree - but I think you will find that both David Beckham and Steve Redgrave have raised millions for charity between them.
Maybe Kelly has, I don't know.

I have to agree with JonJParr and say I think the honours are a farce. That said if it's a way of recognising the bravery and strength of character she has shown during her 70 odd day voyage then yes make the lady a dame.

I'm a bit dissapointed that this pole - suggestion being made a dame, which means very little to a lot of people - has devalued her achievment somehow.
Maybe we should be asking whether Ellen has earned the right to drink out of a pint glass?

;)

I think they should at least wait until she does her lap of honour.

Originally posted by owdlad
I am with you on that Mo, the only thing that I would like to know is how a lass from Derbyshire can be so damned good at sailing:thumbsup:



Perhaps she cut her teeth on the little boating lake at Matlock :D

Originally posted by JonJParr
Depends whether you agree about giving Kelly Holmes, Steve Redgrave or David Beckham knighthoods. In my opinion the New Years Honours are a farce. Knighthoods should be bestowed upon those who have made measurable and valuable contributions to the country. Kicking a football around a pitch = valuable contribution. Uh.... no.

IMHO they should save the knighthoods for charity workers and volunteers but not footballers with over-inflated salaries and egos.

since when has beckham been knighted???


It is a remarkable feat that she has done and i have so much respect for her, she has balls of steel to do what she did- she deserves it!!!

well, this poll is now academic as she has now been made a dame!!!

dave

The first time Blair and the Queen have got something right for ages :clap: :clap: :clap:

All aboard the bandwagon!!!

A bit like the rugby world cup all over again. Thousands of people screaming "Ref! That was never a knock-on... what's a knock-on?!? :loopy: :huh: :suspect:

Fantastic News! Well done Ellen!

:clap: :banana: :clap: :banana: :clap:

Top marks to her, all that time on your own out at sea (hmmm, like the sound of that) I was listening to a radio talk show that put across even though she beat the original record by 32 hours? she did not go on the original route and pass thorugh the Pacific ocean so they were questioning if the record should cound as technically she didn't circle the world.

im no sailor but how can you go around the world without passing thru the pacific?

dave

ellen's route here - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sol/shared/bsp/hi/image_maps/04/11/1099489832/img/round_worldmap4_416.gif

Originally posted by alchemist
Should ellen macarthur be made a dame?



In which pantomime?:hihi:

Originally posted by owdlad
The first time Blair and the Queen have got something right for ages :clap: :clap: :clap:

There is nothing like a dame !

Big deal!!!!
So what, next year some-one will probably beat her record and so it goes on,.
For goodness sake it's been proved the world is round, you can sail round it, so if some-one wants to beat a previous record then that's their choice but it's not exaactly something new. Also it must of been rreasonably dangerous and if she had been killed in the attempt would the country of had to go into mourning? I suppose it's a bit like climbing Everest, it's been done so why should I be forced to endure news broadcasts raving on about some-one else doing it, I'm really not interested.

Well that route looks to me like a complete cirlce around the world. I can't remember which station I was listening to, but they didn't go over the route for the last record.

Originally posted by Zamo
All aboard the bandwagon!!!

A bit like the rugby world cup all over again. Thousands of people screaming "Ref! That was never a knock-on... what's a knock-on?!? :loopy: :huh: :suspect:

No, that was more an opportunity for Blair to jump on the bandwagon. Give them a gong, he said. Not one to miss a photo opportunity, is he?

Well done, im sick of hearing about this daily on the news, now she finally finished we can move on.

:D wonder if shes going to do a lap of honour you can do it when you b&q it :clap: :clap:

Hope I never have to hear about it on TV again. ITN doing a 'Search for the Hero Inside Yourself' video montage nearly made me vomit. And now she seems to be making a tidy sum from some hideous B&Q advertisement.

She sailed around the world in a small boat and cried a lot. Maybe now she can do something useful with her time that someone can benefit from.

Originally posted by Meaks
Hope I never have to hear about it on TV again. ITN doing a 'Search for the Hero Inside Yourself' video montage nearly made me vomit. And now she seems to be making a tidy sum from some hideous B&Q advertisement.

She sailed around the world in a small boat and cried a lot. Maybe now she can do something useful with her time that someone can benefit from.


hmmmm, dont agree.

OK maybe the media have jumped on the band wagon abit (somert Id dint think would happen hehe) but you cant take away from the womans achievement. I'd rather see a sickly sweet montage about her than others about England Rubgy after world cup or the inevitable (sp) dumping of out the national footy team in the quarter finals.

She has done something that only one of the person has managed and done it better. There were some stats on bbc website i think saying that 12 people has walked on the moon, many many more been into space etc etc but only two gone round the world single handedly in a trimaran (again sp).

Good luck to her I say - get as much publicity and money out of it as possible.

Originally posted by mat1978
you cant take away from the womans achievement

Don't get me wrong, I agree that what she has done is pretty impressive and it certainly no minor accomplishment, and to that I say well done. But why she has to be pictured as some huge national hero for indulging herself in what seems (to me) to be a rather pointless, dangerous and expensive hobby I do not know.

Good one Ellen, now please go away :)

Originally posted by scottf
since when has beckham been knighted???


It is a remarkable feat that she has done and i have so much respect for her, she has balls of steel to do what she did- she deserves it!!!

Could'nt av' said it better myself mate. Good on ye' Ellen, you've got bigger balls than me.

What other sport requires the aptitude, endurance, strength and skill that Ellen has had to apply and maintain for such a long time - and probably paid a hell of a lot less than most of the top premiership footballers.

Makes me wanna go out and buy something from B&Q !!

Originally posted by Meaks
Don't get me wrong, I agree that what she has done is pretty impressive and it certainly no minor accomplishment, and to that I say well done. But why she has to be pictured as some huge national hero for indulging herself in what seems (to me) to be a rather pointless, dangerous and expensive hobby I do not know.

Good one Ellen, now please go away :)

But its not really her fault, its the media who has as you say portrayed her as a national hero.

the advert has been on tv tonight she says b+qs tools are good enough for so they will be good enough for us .....i dont think so, what a waste of good money

Whether or not she deserves to be a Dame doesn't matter. What does matter is that we took the record back from the French!

Originally posted by fierysatsuma
Could'nt av' said it better myself mate. Good on ye' Ellen, you've got bigger balls than me.

What other sport requires the aptitude, endurance, strength and skill that Ellen has had to apply and maintain for such a long time - and probably paid a hell of a lot less than most of the top premiership footballers.

Makes me wanna go out and buy something from B&Q !!

It's definitely not a sport.

I smell the green eyed monster here.

Very brave, very talented, very fit, very intelligent.

She is the best in the world at her sport - and she keeps on proving it!

It's a great achievement when most people and you should be ashamed to criticise her.

Is she brave? Or is she stupid???

Praise where praise is due: Id never be able to do what shes done, it must have been incredibly difficult and must have taken a lot of strength - but why did she do it? Because she wanted to thats why!


True feelings: I dont give a damn. Shes got a hobby and shes decided to try and go round the world. Stick her in the guiness book of records. Dont make her a dame. What has she contributed to society? At a time where a tsunami has just wiped out millions of homes shes been given millions to fund her little selfish adventure around the world. She felt like doing it and she did - but why do we have to see practically the entire news devoted to her saying that shes a hero. Well my definition of a hero is someone who has done good for others and she has only done good for herself. No one else will benefit from her little stunt.

What would have happened if itd all gone wrong? Thousands of pounds worth of emergency services would have been shipped out to her no doubt, because what she did was dangerous and rather stupid.

As for her videos and all the moaning she does about being hungry and exhausted - whinging and whining - what does she expect?? Shes sailiing round the world on her own and she chose to do it so why whinge about it??

Anyway as you can tell im not a fan.

Well that's Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Steve Redgrave demoted too then.

personally i have no problem with redgrave being knighted, he was great over a long period but kelly holmes??? she just happened to come right in a 2 week period after years of being in the middle, i dont think she deserved it

i originally posed this question because of kelly holmes and the comparison between the effort the 2 put in and personally i think ellen put in alot more than kelly

dave

Originally posted by Tony
I smell the green eyed monster here.

Very brave, very talented, very fit, very intelligent.

She is the best in the world at her sport - and she keeps on proving it!

It's a great achievement when most people and you should be ashamed to criticise her.

Yes, it's an achievement for her, but it's not something I can get excited about. I'm not criticising her or putting her down, I'm just intensely bored by the whole thing and fail to see why millions of others aren't too.

Let's get football on the back pages again ASAP, please, and save the ego trips for the news pages!