fatipa: teamellen website, challenge, whingeing

[john_morris_uk]

I disagree that articulation isn't her strong point. She gave a talk a couple of years ago to a load of crusty RYA instructors and examiners and aquitted herself extremely well in front of some occasionally slightly aggressive questioning. Good put downs, witty, good manner and held the several hundred people there (partners were invited for the session) very well.

Hadn't realised how small she is! (but I'm somewhat over 6'2")...

I also don't warm to the constant carping tone of the website, but if you haven't been out there and done it, its a bit difficult to knock it...

 

[EME]

As usual, you raise a number of deep points.

IMHO and FWTW a few comments on :-

The Challenge
The Marketing
The Lady - would be Dame

The Challenge - I like my challenges to be clean and stressful. I admire and respect Scott , Hillary, Chichester and others of that ilk. They took on challenges which were novel and genuine 'firsts' ---- even Ranulph Fiennes is up there. They all triumphed over the 'impossible' , of course they used the latest technology available but they were the first (or in Scott's case a tragic loser). Ellen (if I may be so bold) is not a first .The support she has is awesome. As someone - like most here- who has avidly watched every day of the trip , I feel that with 'Commander' and the Royal Navy inter alia , she has never been 'alone'.

The Marketing - Yes the website could have been better managed - does seem to be a little teccy , amateurish . Then again who coulld have knoen how boorish her posts would be? Should have been better but not the end of the World.


The Lady - First of all RESPECT, I could not do it. However there are loads of folks who fall into the category who can do things I can not.. My sporting heros tend to be rough and ready. I have the utmost respect for people like Chichester, O'Driscoll. Ovett, Nastase , Best, Klammer , or more recently Kelly Holmes ... but how does Ms Macarthur fit into that category? Frankly , she just isn't up there. Her whingeing is just boorish, and has no comparitive withe McEnroes of this world who needed to let off endless steam.....she is a long-distance athlete . This is not to deflect from her achievment of course but compare hers with the current recod holder... who did Jolyon have to communicate with? Was his boat so high-tech? Did he have the logistical support? Did we all rave on here about his attempt? ... what did he have to go through? Yes she is good ... but her 'achievment' will, for me, not be in the same class as others.

P.S. A Score says her record is beaten within 24 months .....

P.P.S. ... Possibly by a French person

P.P.P.S .. I hope she does it !!

 

[Sgeir]

Personally, I felt very uncomfortable reading the e-mails - like an intrusion into her personality. I didn't like it and stopped reading them for that reason.

However, I think it's deeper than the website or the sponsorship issue. I felt similarly about her book, which I found very interesting about her early days sailing solo round the UK. But after that, the book reflected a very driven approach to her sailing and herself (also arguably about other people, but I'd rather not go there).

Maybe it's a generation thing, but I instinctively dislike the idea of peeling away the layers and revealing your very "soul" or "inner being" to the world. By default or design, she, and her thoughts and feelings, have become "public property".

But, once you're there, how do you retreat? I hope for her sake that it will be possible to do so, and to enjoy a private life away from the glare of publicity and public scrutiny.

She's an incredibly gutsy person and I am sure will be an inspiration for years to come. But I guess the e-mail issue is her choice, and is, I believe, consistent with her book. Whatever happens she will have achieved more than most people could dream of. I wish her well, and hope that there is a soft landing at a time of, and in a manner of, her choice.

 

[claymore]

Very few of you will remember this - John Morris will because he's 6ft 2 so is bound to remember everything, but Claire Francis shot some film of herself doing a transatlantic crossing in Robertsons's Golly in which she was clearly frightened and having a good sob. I felt awful having watched it because it felt so intrusive of a very private moment. I have a good sob most mornings when Dear Heart packs me off to work - but in the privacy of my own car and that really isn't a moment I would like sharing...not sure where this is heading now.

 

[tcm]

spin

i agree, magic.

But the complaints regarding spin have come about from extending the envelope of "spin" to include "lie" - examples including "negative profit scenarios" in the private sector and "dramaticially reduced rate of increase in crime".

Back to ellen, i am fine about her having a tough time, and fine about her cusing and cursing to drive herself through it.

My point is that I don't the shore team are doing her any favours by publishing every line of every email she sends from the depths of her exhausted condition.

 

[tcm]

i agree.... except i don't believe that overall she would want to leave or fully publicise here feelings about the trip with those emails publicised unexpurgated several times every single day - in her exhausted state i think she, and her exploits could be served better. She's a brilliant sailor, but in the depths of effort, exhaustion, concentration when a microphone is stuck in our faces many wd say oh #### off! - and they're publishing the lot. This is not an issue of her undoubted brilliance, but of the interface with the wider public through the website which otherwise is excelent (beter than orange II for a start...)

 

[tcm]

i agree with all you say.

merely in terms of the interface with the great unwashed public, most of whom like me have no idea of longterm isolation at sea, i don't think they are doing her any favours by publishing every single email in full. Only a very few (and you're one ) will be able to read between/past the lines and understand. To many others, even with lots of boaty experience, they think "well - what on earth did you expect?..." or suchlike.

I agree with many others that it's interesting, fascinating even, but as Otto says - it does her a disservice.

 

[celandine]

Well somebody must want to read the emails. For the last three quarters of an hour atleast, (now Fri. 1645) the site has being saying that the emails cannot be accessed due to too many punters. Unless they are doing a quick editing job of course.

 

[anglo_saxon]

I only hope that they have closed the site down because they have read some of your comments.
Why oh why when as a nation, when we should feel good and proud of a person like Ellen do we have to find something wrong with her.
She is a normal person doing a great thing, dosn`t that make you feel just a little bit good inside.
Do any of you know her enough as a person to critisize her.
Just for once can`t we all suport a great acheivement and salute her
effort and her as a person.

 

[tcm]

i'm afraid you are perfectly illustrating my point. I wasn't criticiszing her. I was criticinsing the misjudgement of the shoreteam in publishing every single email.
Compared with other heroes, the site shows a huge dose -too much surely - of the first-hand complaining of agony and exhasution. Yep, no doubt it's true, but as an overall picture it is unflattering and possibly detrimental to future adventures - it seems that this attempt -or perhaps future challenges- might be beyond her.

 

[fireball]

Then perhaps she needs attention by a phyciatrist then ...
I admit to getting a little edgy during a race when things aren't going the way I want them, but it does _SEEM_ like every email there is a whinge about something, judicial editing is NOT the same as spin and I don't think anyone would ever suggest that what she is doing is like a stroll in the park. What I do think is that all this whinging is going to keep our seas a little less cluttered as some of those tempted to get into sailing are going to look at this and change their mind (not all .. some ..). It also drives away interest from what she is achieving - nobody likes listening to moaning for too long, and as you can see, it has already driven away some from visiting her site.

What did we hear from MG when he lost his keel? Not a lot - just confirmation that that is what happened and that he stuck his head underwater to check - nothing that it was flippin cold and he was drained ... just that he watched a DVD whilst helming to keep himself awake - no spin, no lies - just a subtle hint that he was knackered but still doing everything he could physically do to keep the boat going.

Perhaps it is just the way she is, and I certainly don't begrudge her a moan about how she is feeling if that is what she needs .. but I don't want to here about it every day ...

Anyway - whats with all these Unexpected winds she keeps getting - how much are they paying for weather information??!!

to finish - Nice one Mike, pity your not going to try next time, I tried to persuade my boss ... but as much as he'd love to get rid of me for 3 months he didn't want to part with quite that much money ... unfortunatly he wouldn't send me on 3 months paid holiday instead!!
and ...
Nice one Ellen - even if you don't make it (which I seriously doubt, but you never know!) - thats one heck of a trip and are you going to put the boat up for sale on Ebay?

 

[anglo_saxon]

So she moans, so do I, so am I, god she`s normal.
Maybe her team is not as experienced as the vendee team. I personaly think they have done a great job reporting on the voyage of just one vessel yet still managing to keep many of us wanting for more information, giving us more of a feel of what she is going through, what it is like onboard and what it takes to do something like this. As for future adventures, I think she will supprise a lot of people as long as she dosn`t let other peoples comments get her down. Everyone knows that a hundred well done`s is wipped out by one bad comment.

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[Ships_Cat]

I am not saying that she is doing this, but people seem to be assuming that what she presents in her emails is an honest baring of her soul with no motive behind that, rather than their considering the possibility of it being a concious attempt by her to develop a distinctive public face for herself. That is, while I am sure anyone doing what she is will have their highs and lows, it is possible that baring herself is her way of maintaining public visibility and differentiating herself from other similar yachtspersons (who also compete for public attention and sponsorship).

Take a well known example, John McEnroe the "tennis brat". Was he really as brat like inside as his behaviour depicted or was what was probably partly a natural behaviour for him purposely exaggerated by him in order to help differentiate his public face from the other players?

Other sportsmen, actors, TV personalities, politicians, musicians, etc, etc mostly all do it. Football players with haircuts, grumpy actors, wild rock stars, etc, etc. Again not saying that is what she is doing, it may be entirely from innocence, but in my opinion we should not assume that she is not unless we actually are close to her and know it to be so. In fact we all probably do it in some little way in our jobs - err, and probably in what we post in forums - yikes I'm off .

Regardless, alot of admiration from me for her exploits.

John

 

[bob_tyler]

With so much spin today, much of it inaccurate and often downright lies, I feel that the shore crew have done a superb job by publishing the emails and conversations, warts and all. There are some people who are just not used to hearing the facts and like everything polished for their consumption.

The site conveys to me the true feelings of Ellen and gives me a very slight impression of what it must be like alone on board B&Q. I know damned well that I would not have enjoyed being out there single-handed.

I can't agree that they should have polished it up. I feel that the Vendee Globe site was too polished and professional to be true - it conveyed little to me of the feelings and anxieties of the competitors and was just a journalistic report.

I have found the basic, factual B&Q site far more interesting and involving. I have to admit that there have been times when I would have liked to give Ellen a virtual comforting hug to cheer her up and spur her on.

The published weather forecasts have provided the overall dry technical info which has enabled me to anticipate what might happen next. Although by no means 100% accurate (what forecasts are) they gave a pretty fair impression of what was to come.

 

[tcm]

great post, very thought porovoking, imho.

 

[tcm]

I'm far too girly I'm afraid. i might probly squeeze into the size m but it's grey, tough-looking, and is emblazoned with the name of a puveyor of power tools

 

[walker]

I suppose she does realise that her e-mails are posted unedited? Reading last nights four parter, seems she really is losing her grip, in which case she has my sympathy. But overall I tend to the view that she moans too much for one doing something she has chosen to do, loves and presumably is being handsomely rewarded for. Nor, with all that support, do I think that all the 'I couldn't do it' protestations are true. Of course we could - to a large degree sailing is something that can be learnt, and I doubt the levels of fitness or natural ability required approach those needed of a top athlete. Most of us could do it if we chose, but would not be driven enough so to chose. If Ellen wants to experience hell she should try 40 years working in a call centre. What she is doing should be an exciting adventure, and if it isn't, she should find something else to do. Didn't much like the swipe at the Vendee either.

 

[nicho]

We said exactly the same after last night watching the texts on a TV news bulletin. Nothing can take away the hugeness of the task, her skill, her guts and courage, but the "whinging" reminded us of the Nigel Mansell years. How many times did he win races and then feign complete exhaustion and collapse on stepping out of the car! Not necessary really. I agree, some editing would benefit the exercise.

 

[bob_tyler]

When she comes ashore at Port Pendennis I hope that the pontoons are rocking a bit. If they aren't she would probably fall over as she steps off B&Q! I would be the first to volunteer to hold her up /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif