Taking on the World : A Sailor's Extraordinary Solo Race Around the Globe - Softcover

MacArthur, Ellen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0071435441 ISBN 13: 9780071435444

Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 2004

Synopsis

"An exuberant, headlong, exhausting ride . . . more than a book about sailboat racing; it's also about a dream ferociously pursued and the price paid for realizing it . . . impossible to put down."

--Derek Lundy, author, Godforsaken Sea

"A story of mythic shape--of a young girl who receives a call to adventure and sets out on a compulsive journey, and finds mentors, tests, dark caves, despair, a supreme ordeal, and triumph."

--Peter Nichols, author, A Voyage for Madmen

"A passionate account that is far more than just another book about racing."

--The (London) Times

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The Young Woman Who Took the Sailing World by Storm

At twenty-four, Ellen MacArthur became the youngest person ever to complete the Vendée Globe singlehanded nonstop sailboat race around the planet and the second woman--and second fastest sailor--to circumnavigate the globe alone. Taking On the World is Ellen's story--of her longing for adventure, her indomitable will, and her overwhelming passion for the sea.

"An exuberant, headlong, exhausting ride. . . . This is more than a book about sailboat racing; it's also about a dream ferociously pursued and the price paid for realizing it."--Derek Lundy, author, Godforsaken Sea and The Way of a Ship

"As different from other sailing books as Ellen MacArthur is from other sailors. . . . One is left full of admiration, and wondering mightily what this journeying heroine will achieve next."--Peter Nichols, author, A Voyage for Madmen

"A unique book full of wit and grit, an engrossing story of the call of the sea and survival against profound odds."--Ocean Navigator

"MacArthur's triumph in sailing 26,000 miles around the world in less than 100 days sets standards in daring, defiance, and yachtsmanship that may not be matched for years to come."--The (London) Times

"You don't need to be a sailor to find it inspiring. It's about endeavour, a riff on Kipling's 'If' that has you wondering why you don't just go out and fulfill your dreams."--The Independent

Ellen MacArthur saved her school lunch money for eight years to buy her first boat, an 8-foot sailing dinghy. At eighteen she sailed around Britain alone, then began a string of impressive finishes in solo long-distance races that culminated in her record-setting performance in the 2000 - 2001 Vendée Globe. In 2002 she won the Route du Rhum singlehanded transatlantic race in the 60-foot Kingfisher. In January 2004, she launched the 75-foot trimaran B&Q, which was specifically built to set solo speed-sailing records, including the 24-hour record and the transatlantic record.

About the Author:

Ellen MacArthur (Cowes, England) sailed around Britain alone at 19, and then began solo long-distance races that culminated in her record-setting performance in the 2000-2001 Vendee Globe.

About this edition

• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0071435441
• ISBN 13: 9780071435444
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368