The Ellen phenomenon

AT the top of her sport and having reached fame in virtually every corner of the globe, Ellen MacArthur would appear to have an ocean of opportunities available to her.

Yesterday's remarkable arrival in Falmouth following her record-breaking single-handed navigation of the globe prompted major broadcasters to wipe their schedules clear and celebrate this historic moment.

She immediately became a Dame and received messages of congratulations from both the Queen and the Prime Minister.

"I couldn't believe it. I felt incredibly privileged. My head is spinning. There is a lot to come to terms with and take in," she admitted.

A film of her voyage now looks likely and an updated version of her already hugely popular autobiography would also seem to await.

Commercially, the possibilities associated with Ellen's spiralling celebrity status appear numerous - with one sports agency claiming she could earn up to £5 million in the next couple of years alone.

"She has the potential to earn between £3 million and £5 million over the next 18 months purely from endorsements, quite apart from any money she might be paid to race people's boats for them," said Nigel Currie, director of sports marketing agency the GEM Group.

Certainly her success is good news for her sponsors who have financed an epic adventure.

But whether Ellen will cash in on her success is far from certain.

Four years ago she finished second in the Vendee Globe, becoming the youngest person and fastest woman to sail solo round the world.

It earned her an MBE and runner-up status to David Beckham in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show.

But while the likes of Beckham and even mediocre Premiership stars might have multi-millionaire lifestyles, Ellen has continued to enjoy a more modest way of life in Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

There was the book deal and there are the sponsorships, but nothing really in proportion to her status now among Britain's sporting greats.

A central reason, though, is that Ellen is largely unmotivated by commercial benefit and celebrity status.

She does what she does because she loves a challenge and because she loves sailing.

Boats were an obsession from the age of four. She received precious little acclaim for single-handedly sailing round Britain at the age of 18. For Ellen, finance has always been about obtaining enough sponsorship money to fund her dreams.

What spare time she does have has previously been largely dedicated to her leukaemia charity, a cause for which she is estimated to have raised some £250,000 since 2002.

Ellen yesterday made it clear that achieving more sailing success with her formidably well-organised 'Team Ellen' remained her priority.

"I'm not going to stop sailing, that's for sure, and I'm not going to stop sailing this boat," she said.

"I just try to take every day as it comes and not let it affect who I am. I love what I do from the communications side of it to the sailing. I love working on a project with the team.

"Right now I would like to spend some time with my family and switch my brain off. My brain has constantly been thinking about boat speeds, weather conditions, charging the batteries on the boat."

And, unlike when she said an emotional goodbye to her boat four years ago after completing the Vendee Globe, Ellen sees her current vessel, B&Q, being her partner for many more possible records.

The next challenge on the horizon appears to be the solo transatlantic mark of just over seven days which she missed last June by only 75 minutes.

She explained: "The one thing I'm very happy about is that when I left the boat I wasn't sad, I wasn't particularly emotional like when I left the boat after my last round the world trip. It wasn't as if it is the end of this boat.

"There are a lot more records out there, I obviously won't be setting off round the world in the short term, but there are other records.

"The transatlantic we missed out on last year, that's almost certainly something I would like to aim for.

"There are lots of records out there to try and break with this boat. I'm not going to end my connection with this boat. I would like to continue sailing it. I've learnt a huge amount. It is just unbelievable and we have shared a lot of miles."

And more long-distance sailing? Another possibility is attacking the record of sailing the opposite way round the globe.

"I did consider going the wrong way round the world when I was younger," she said.

"I remember Mike Golding did it and I followed that very closely. I had pictures on my bedroom wall when I was at school. More recently it is not something I have seriously considered but who knows? When I finished the Vendee I hadn't planned to do this." It has certainly been an incredible few months for Ellen.

But, somehow, you suspect that her time in the brightest of spotlights will be limited to the immediate future much in the manner of Jonny Wilkinson after the Rugby World Cup.

She is no Beckham. Ellen is far too consumed by sailing to allow her fame to outgrow her accomplishments. She is also extremely down to earth.

Indeed, any thought yesterday of whether the past few days might change who she is and what she does was met with pretty much the only frown of the day.

"People might view you differently but I hope to stay the same," she said. "I have no will to change. All of this has been humbling more than anything else."