After spending four months ensconced in her house in Cowes, Ellen MacArthur is approaching the finishing line - on her new book, due for publication later this year.
While based on the Isle of Wight, she has also been able to keep a close eye on the refit of her beloved Open 60 Kingfisher, which has been completed at the GBR Challenge yard in Arctic Road and will be relaunched next week.
Anxious to get back on the water, MacArthur will conduct trials and preparation before sailing to France to compete in the Regata du Rubicon in May - where all the top Open 60s will reunite for the first big competition of the year.
The competitive fleet of 12 boats will include great friend and rival Roland Jourdain (SILL) with whom Ellen will do battle in the solo transatlantic race, the Route du Rhum, in November.
In the meantime, she will assist at the Official Opening of the new B&Q store, give a talk about her experiences at the Royal Geographical Society in London and watch an account of her life since the Vendee Globe in a new documentary titled 'Ellen: Life on Land' starting on April 28.
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