By Ellen MacArthur

On 11 February 2001, Ellen MacArthur sailed into port in France, completing the Vendee Globe, the world's toughest race. Alone and unsupported, she had spent more than three months at sea and had beaten everything the race could throw at her - storms, icy seas, exhaustion, rigging failures and, when she was fighting for first place, a cata- strophic collision with a submerged object that could have cost her not just the lead but her life. But Ellen never forgot that she was chasing a dream. To give it any less than her all would be to let down herself and everyone who believed in her. She knew she could not give up. At twenty-four she became the youngest person ever to complete the race and the fastest woman to circumnavigate the globe. No other Briton has sailed solo around the world faster. The impact of her achievement was immediate, but it was the character that emerged from behind the headlines that created the more lasting impression - Ellen made people feel like they could do anything. This is Ellen’s story ~ how, from her childhood in land- locked Derbyshire, she made it to the start line of the Vendee Globe. lt’s also the incredible story of the race that catapulted her on to the front pages and into the nation’s heart. Dramatic and moving, Taking On the World will inspire and enthral all who read it.