1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:21,440 Welcome back to the Clean Sailors podcast. Let's talk about sea, marine, sailing and 2 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:26,520 keep it clean. I'm your host Holly, founder of Clean Sailors and a sailor myself with 3 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:31,640 a passion for the health of our mighty oceans. Through conversations with experts, innovators 4 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:36,240 and activists, all working towards improving the health of our seas, we're showcasing the 5 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:43,200 people and projects, changing the way things are done. Climate change. A phrase we've 6 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:48,240 heard all too much and increasingly over the last decades. Whether the spread of species 7 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:52,240 into new environments has temperature change or the heightened frequency and intensity 8 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:56,640 of storms, whatever your belief system, the tangible impacts of changing climate are 9 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:01,880 increasingly evident and increasingly traumatic. Our polar ice caps are probably the most 10 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:07,160 referred to as a proxy for the alarming temperature changes of our planet. These large sheets 11 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,000 of ice, as preserved for millions of years, have been undergoing change so much so that 12 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:17,560 once impossible and certainly inhospitable areas of our globe are opening up. 13 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:23,440 Today I'm joined by Ella Hibbet, a sailor who in just a few short weeks will slip lines 14 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:30,200 alone for the Arctic Circle, attempting the world's first single-handed non-stop circumnavigation 15 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:36,920 of the Arctic. But in her own words, this is not a record attempt. It's a wake-up call. 16 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:42,600 Ella, really great to see you. Thank you for having me. How does it feel when you hear 17 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,200 that played back to you? I appreciate this is an adventure that you've been planning 18 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,640 and working on for a couple of years now, but does it hit home at times just about what 19 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,740 you're doing and about to achieve? Yeah, absolutely. It still plays on the emotions 20 00:01:54,740 --> 00:01:59,160 quite a bit that the reality of the situation that we're facing in the Arctic and the fact 21 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,400 that so many people are becoming aware of this and getting behind and supporting what 22 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:08,760 I'm trying to showcase. So it's a wonderful feeling that two years into finding all this, 23 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:12,680 people are starting to hear what we're trying to put out there as our message and what we're 24 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:16,680 trying to do for the Arctic North, really. Obviously, coming from a clean sailors' angle, 25 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,840 there is, of course, that element of, look, this is an ecosystem which has gone significant 26 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:26,280 and intensive change over a relatively short period of time, right? But there's also that 27 00:02:26,280 --> 00:02:30,880 element of, I think, the support, obviously, for you in terms of what you're doing. And 28 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:35,240 one of the questions I'll come to you later is also what turning point between being a 29 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:40,200 crew kind of sailor with a team around you to deciding to do it solo. But I really want 30 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:43,880 to know, first of all, just how you're feeling about the expedition. Obviously, there's a 31 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,360 lot of work going on to your boat. There's a lot of preparation, a hell of a lot of preparation 32 00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:49,720 that goes into this. How are you doing right now? 33 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:55,560 I'm good. I'm just trying to keep things on schedule, which is easier said than done. 34 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,960 Like you said, there's loads and loads of work that's already happened and there's still 35 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:03,600 a lot to do. So I'm hoping to have the boat almost completely finished in about three 36 00:03:03,600 --> 00:03:07,600 weeks' time so that I can start training sails. I mean, when I say training sails, obviously, 37 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:12,120 I've owned the boat since 2022 and I'm a sailing instructor, so I'm happy with sort of my sailing 38 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:16,320 skillset. But it's about pulling all of the new equipment that we've kitted the boat up 39 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:20,200 with through a bit of a test. I want to get out into some heavy weather close enough that 40 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,280 I can turn tail and come back if something's wrong, rather than my first sort of storm 41 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,520 being 600 miles from land in the middle of the North Sea, heading for Iceland. At the 42 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,920 moment, it's just about trying to stay focused and productive. 43 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:36,520 And you've got a Roberts 38, right, which is obviously a vessel that excels at offshore 44 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:39,960 sailing. What kind of modifications have you still had to make specific to the passage 45 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:41,720 that you're doing around the Arctic? 46 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,560 So we've converted to Bow Cabin, which was a really gorgeous double bed that I used to 47 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:50,240 love into shelving. That's been quite a big change. And equipment-wise, I mean, the boat 48 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,520 structurally is made for exactly what I'm trying to do. And I made sure that the surveyor, 49 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:59,040 when I bought her, checked sort of the thickness of the steel, where it should be and that 50 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,200 sort of thing. But the main upgrade has been in the equipment. So she's had a brand new 51 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,640 stand-in, new standing and running rigging. We're getting a HydroVane actually installed 52 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:11,320 today. The water makers here, there's water generator arriving. So a lot of the equipment 53 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,440 we're trying to put on the boat is to try and showcase that there are sustainable technologies 54 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,320 that are good enough nowadays to make it around the world's harshest environment. There's 55 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:23,560 no excuse that they're not on every boat in the Mediterranean and England. It's about 56 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,480 fitting the boat out with that sort of equipment and then going out and testing it and making 57 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,480 sure that we've done a proper job of the installs and that we're good to go North. 58 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:35,280 Sorry about the folks all, but it's honestly the probably the most uncomfortable place 59 00:04:35,280 --> 00:04:38,840 to sleep on a longer passage, as I'm sure you'll know. It's fine in the Banderina. I 60 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:43,320 mean, Ella, it's never really about a boat in my experience. It's never just a boat, 61 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:48,160 right? I mean, she's going to be, Eva's going to be your best friend, your home, your comfort, 62 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,840 your safety and security. I appreciate she really has been, but this is a different 63 00:04:51,840 --> 00:04:56,080 experience, right? So what was it about her in particular that either you were drawn 64 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:58,240 to or have come to appreciate? 65 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:02,000 I sort of had four requirements for a boat when I set out looking for one to buy. I wanted 66 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:06,920 it to be less than 40 feet. I wanted it to be a catch. I wanted it to be made of steel 67 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,800 and I wanted to have a doghouse for interior steering. And funny enough, Eva wasn't for 68 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,960 sale when I found her. And at that point, the two boats closest to me geographically 69 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:19,880 that I found that I liked, one was in Panama and the other one was in Australia, which 70 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:20,880 was really unhelpful. 71 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:23,360 That's not, so it actually closed. 72 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:28,120 Yeah. I actually took students from a sailing school to Port St. at Marina and we ended 73 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:32,160 up docked on the same pontoon that Eva was on and walked past her on the way to dinner. 74 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,960 And just out the corner of my eye, I sort of saw her as we were heading off the dock. 75 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,960 And I said to the students, listen, I'll catch you up. I'm just going to have a longer look 76 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:44,040 at this boat here. And I just instantly just was drawn to her. She was in a bit of a state 77 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:50,720 of it, grimy and torn sort of sailbags and just looked a bit underworn, but so perfect 78 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:54,080 for what I'd been looking for. So I went to the harbor office and I said, would you give 79 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,720 my email address to the owner? And you know, if he wants to sell, he can reach out. And 80 00:05:57,720 --> 00:06:01,280 he did. He reached out the next day. So then we went and had a look at the inside, which 81 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:05,200 I fell in love with because she's just, she's really pretty boat. She looks a bit like a 82 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:10,000 tank on the outside, but she's gorgeous. And then the owner told me a number that he wanted 83 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,680 for her, which I didn't have in the bank account because obviously before I got the sponsors 84 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:17,600 that I have in the title partner that I have now, I was working full time to sort of sell 85 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:23,640 fund. And then basically he said that he was going to put her on the market and I started 86 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:28,200 a crowdfund page. And it was through all of the donations from people supporting that crowdfund 87 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,360 page that I managed to put down a 20% deposit on the boat, which was enough to convince him 88 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:37,520 to let me pay him off monthly whilst I continued to work. And then that's funny enough how 89 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,160 I secured my first ever sponsor, which is Boatfork, who owned Hazel and Marina where 90 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:46,560 she is now. I went to see them at Southampton Boat Show in 2022 and sort of said, listen, 91 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:50,200 I found this boat for this really stupid thing that I'm going to try and do, but I can't 92 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:55,080 afford the boat cost and the mooring fees. Would you be interested in sponsoring a birth 93 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,440 for the boat? At this point, I hadn't bought her yet. So they said, you know, we can't 94 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:02,120 offer you a birth for a boat you don't have. And I said, I can't get the boat if you don't 95 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:06,720 give me a birth. So they said, as long as you don't mind in which marina you end up, 96 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:11,000 we'll find somewhere for you. And that all just fell into place so incredibly that by 97 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,800 December 2022, I owned Yay Versus, who was in Hazel Marina. And then I had a very generous 98 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:19,920 donation, well, an anonymous donation, essentially, that allowed me to pay off the rest of the 99 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:24,240 boat in one go. So that was quite an emotional day because the owner had taken such a leap 100 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,440 of faith on knowing that I'd get him the money somehow. 101 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,560 I didn't think it was just me, but when I say it's not just a boat, right, you get 102 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:30,560 that feeling. 103 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:34,360 Absolutely. And I keep talking about her like we're a team. So I keep saying, we're going 104 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:38,440 to the Arctic and people are like, I thought you were going alone. Just say, yeah, me and 105 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:39,440 the boat. 106 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:45,480 I really get it. There's a, I got sailing my grandfather's boat in Italy and I can't 107 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:50,160 describe it like if crossing say the biscuit, otherwise you just feel it is like you're 108 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:55,200 being looked after by something that's so alive and so animated. You have actually trust 109 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:58,240 in her like she's a person and I can't quite quite. 110 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:03,000 Yeah, you get to know every, every sort of noise and squeak or sound that she makes. 111 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,640 And the second you hear something that's unusual for that vessel, you pick it up straight away. 112 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,000 So you become quite in tune to the boat for sure. 113 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,120 Yeah. I mean, doublehandling is one thing, but obviously solo is another. I mean, on 114 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:19,600 that point, LAU's obviously been a sailing instructor for a while. So you're very, very 115 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:24,120 burst at crewing and being with others and in teams and leading teams, et cetera. So 116 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:28,520 why alone? What was it about going this alone that was really important to you? 117 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:34,240 There's a few different reasons why. First off, I think it helps maybe highlight what 118 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,800 we're trying to show you about the fact that if I can make the full second navigation by 119 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:43,000 myself, then it's just testament to how quickly we are losing the sea ice and how less sort 120 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:47,640 of perilous of an area of navigation the Arctic has become. And then there's also that sort 121 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:52,280 of personal goal. I mean, seeing the Arctic with my own two eyes has been something I've 122 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,640 dreamed about since I was little. And the more I got into sailing, the more I started 123 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:00,080 putting those two things together. And there's that sort of challenge to it that I think 124 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,640 I'm just excited about putting myself through. Like you said, I've spent a long time looking 125 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:08,240 after teams on boats and looking after, you know, running a competent crew course for 126 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,080 people that have never even seen a boat before. I know that if I can keep five other lives 127 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:16,920 at sea safe, I can look after myself. But I want to experience that challenge of the 128 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:20,880 sleep deprivation and the mental fortitude that I'm going to need to carry into this 129 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,280 to get out the other side. And it's something that a lot of people think I'm a bit nuts 130 00:09:24,280 --> 00:09:27,800 for wanting to experience. But it's one of the biggest challenges I'm looking the most 131 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:28,800 forward to actually. 132 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:33,440 I think it's one of the most honest answers I've heard on the basis that actually it 133 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:37,520 has to be very much about almost the ugly and the tough side of it. That is almost 134 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:41,680 why you've got to do it to prove to yourself in some ways that it can be done. And you 135 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:46,200 appreciate that it's not necessarily a small feat. Obviously, you've chosen the Arctic. 136 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:50,120 You could have solo sailed anywhere. But what is it? You mentioned you've been interested 137 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,440 about it since you were sort of younger. But what draws you to this environment and then 138 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,160 specifically to sail it? 139 00:09:55,160 --> 00:10:00,440 I think part of what fascinates me the most about the Arctic is how it's perceived as 140 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:06,240 this place that's so otherworldly and foreign and harsh and extreme. But there's that reality 141 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:11,360 that actually it is fundamental to the survival of the rest of the world as well. And it's 142 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:16,600 a place that has just always fascinated me in its harshness, its environment, its inhabitants 143 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:22,320 and animal life, you know, being able to see bears or the various whales that live up there. 144 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:27,720 It's just an area that I want to join bridge the gap between how people perceive the Arctic 145 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:33,320 as a sort of far away foreign place that has no impact on us and get people to realise 146 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:37,600 just how intricately linked the survival of the Arctic is to our survival as well. So 147 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:41,480 that fascination has been steadily growing for quite a few years now. 148 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,760 There's something we really can't underestimate. I think, you know, I mentioned at the beginning 149 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:48,960 that obviously the polar ice caps are something that we really discuss as a proxy for the 150 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:54,440 changing climate. But there's a really, really good reason why. And as you mentioned, these 151 00:10:54,440 --> 00:11:00,960 are the world's refrigerators, in a sense, they're keeping us moderate temperature. They're 152 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:06,880 helping obviously reflect sunlight back out into space. Obviously, that sort of weather 153 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:12,840 system and the vortex has created their help to moderate also our weather systems. So we 154 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:16,000 really can't underestimate it's not just about, I mean, obviously going to the Arctic and 155 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,200 sort of witnessing it firsthand. But I think there's an element also, which is this hasn't 156 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:25,080 really been done before solo circumnavigation nonstop, which is what you're going to be 157 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:29,320 attempting and achieving. But the reason being that obviously it has been so impossible. 158 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:33,760 So already, there are enough ice has melted that this is actually an option for you to 159 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:34,760 do. 160 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:39,720 Absolutely. I mean, the Russian Hygiene Office, for example, have confirmed that my estimated 161 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:45,200 dates to be crossing Nicaragua and the Laptav seas have been navigable in September for the 162 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:50,840 last 10 years in a row, which is just an insane fact. Scientists are estimating now that the 163 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:56,080 Arctic could be entirely ice free in the summer as early as 2045, which means that I could 164 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:02,280 do this circumnavigation around the ice this year. And before I'm 50, I could sail a straight 165 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:07,240 line from Scotland to China across the top of the world, which is just really quite harrowing 166 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,920 sort of information and data that we're looking at. And obviously what we're going up there 167 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,000 to try and highlight and showcase. 168 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:17,640 What a powerful impact. It actually gave me slightly goosebumps that you could sail directly 169 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:22,040 from Scotland to China in a straight line. That's something, isn't it? 170 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:27,080 It's just insane when you stop and let that info sink in. It really does hit home, I find. 171 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:31,240 To your point, there are estimations, quite severe estimations. Obviously the Arctic could 172 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:38,840 be ice free by the early 2040s, but we are losing so Arctic sea ice at around 13% a decade, 173 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:43,400 I think, and over the last 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic. So this is 174 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,840 the stuff that's really been building up for a hell of a long time. It's been declining 175 00:12:46,840 --> 00:12:52,120 by about 95%, which is astounding, isn't it? And I appreciate that these figures sound 176 00:12:52,120 --> 00:12:56,240 like figures. They sound a lot, but I think probably the best analogy is literally what 177 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,840 you said around there being nothing in your way between our side of the globe and the 178 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,920 other. Obviously a journey which previously is taken whether by plane or otherwise, a 179 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:10,680 very, very long time to get to being able to hop over the top of the planet is just sounding. 180 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:16,040 Absolutely. And it's part of the reason that more commercial shipping traffic is moving 181 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:19,720 into the Arctic. There's more oil and gas drilling moving in, the more accessible it 182 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:24,360 becomes. There's more container ships and cruise ships trying to find their way through 183 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:29,400 the Northwest and the Northeast passages. And the more ships that do get up there because 184 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,840 of the less sea ice extent, then the less ice there is because of the more damage caused 185 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:38,080 and it's just this perpetual sort of cycle that's going to keep snowballing unless regulations 186 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:42,480 get changed and we start doing something about it. So one of the charities I'm supporting 187 00:13:42,480 --> 00:13:47,080 by auctioning Yava when I get back from the end of the second nav is a charity called Ocean 188 00:13:47,080 --> 00:13:52,320 Conservancy and they have an Arctic program where essentially they're trying to get the 189 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:56,880 people who make decisions for the countries based around the Arctic. So one of the problems 190 00:13:56,880 --> 00:14:02,000 to backjack on that slightly is that the Arctic Ocean hasn't got a governing body. So any country 191 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:08,120 with a water line that's bordering the Arctic waters can essentially do whatever they like. 192 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:11,280 And part of what Ocean Conservancy are trying to do is get them to all sit around the table 193 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:16,560 together and make areas that are nature reserves, nature protection zones, places that we can't 194 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:21,400 set up oil and gas drilling, making sure that any ships that are going up there have appropriate 195 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:26,600 oil spill kits and fuel spill kits to be able to be self-manageable if something goes wrong 196 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:31,360 and they do start letting oil or fuel out into the water because it's the response times 197 00:14:31,360 --> 00:14:35,920 for that sort of emergency up there are so slow that that's one of the things I feel 198 00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,320 quite passionately that Ocean Conservancy are working hard to achieve. 199 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:44,160 An incredible effort and a very, very important point given international maritime law who 200 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:49,160 does look after the Arctic and to that degree, even if we did have legislation otherwise, 201 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:53,920 it's such a remote area traditionally and such an undesirable area for so many other 202 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:58,800 than say shipping and now increasingly tourism. But policing it is also another element of 203 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:04,000 it. So whilst we can legislate, I think obviously the point very much with your passage is drawing 204 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,560 on the education and the inspiration as to why it's so important that we do it and we 205 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:08,560 do it really well. 206 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:13,480 Absolutely. I'm a big fan of the education side of things. So I've been giving a lot 207 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:17,680 of talks at yacht clubs. I've gone to a school where I grew up in the South of France and 208 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:21,200 chatted to all the different kids and the different age groups out there about it. And 209 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:26,600 yeah, we're working with the International SeaCupers Society to do microplastics study 210 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:31,800 whilst I'm heading up there around the Arctic so that NOC, the National Oceanographic Centre 211 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:35,680 in Southampton can use that to further their research. And obviously the campaign's been 212 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:40,760 endorsed by the Scientific Exploration Society now. So there is that element of education 213 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,760 and research that we're really trying to bring into this as well rather than focusing on 214 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:46,920 the fact that it'll be the first time that it's been done. 215 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:51,720 And I think there's an element of, had you done this passage in many other places, then 216 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,520 the sort of responsibility could only have been on yourself to do your sort of personal 217 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,720 goal and achievement because of the environment that you've chosen. There's a lot of opportunity 218 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:03,600 as you rightly pointed out and undertaken to do the research whilst you're going around 219 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:08,520 and obviously reporting what you're seeing. So not only is it an attempt at circumnavigating 220 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,760 something that has never been possible solo and on stop. Essentially also obviously the 221 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:17,040 well-be-record, although that may not be your first goal, but also as a scientific expedition 222 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:21,120 in its own right. So it's really quite an incredible passage for a variety of reasons. 223 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,680 Thank you. I mean, part of me hopes almost that I don't make it the whole way around, 224 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:28,440 you know, to set this record to be the first person to solo circumnavigate the Arctic Circle 225 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:33,120 will be one of the most bittersweet things I think I could ever imagine doing. So there 226 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:37,880 is that hope that maybe there is enough sea ice that we might have to win to the boat over 227 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:42,520 somewhere and do it over two seasons. But from the research that I've done and the hydromatopsis 228 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:45,920 that I've spoken to and the other sailors I've spoken to that have been through the Northwest 229 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:50,560 and Northeast passages, it does look highly likely that I will actually pull it off in 230 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:51,560 a single season. 231 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:55,080 That's really something, isn't it? And just going back to your, where does it all start 232 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,720 for you? I mean, you're here in your mid to late twenties and you're about to do something 233 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:04,040 that has actually never been done before, although various attempts and I think the closest 234 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:07,440 anyone has come to it has obviously been double handed. And obviously there's been stops and 235 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:11,240 stuff along the way. But where does it all start for you? Where was your first experience 236 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:12,840 of even the water? 237 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:17,640 We lived in Suffolk for a short while when I was a kid. So dad was military. So I was 238 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:22,000 born in Germany and then we moved to England when I was three and we left England and moved 239 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:27,160 to France when I was nine. But between the ages of about five and nine as a way of keeping 240 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:32,280 me out of trouble and occupied on school holidays, mom and dad used to chuck me in optimists and 241 00:17:32,280 --> 00:17:36,640 lasers on a reservoir up a nip switch. And that's where it really started. And then when 242 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:41,400 we moved to France, dad had a moody that we used to sail sort of Marseille to Corsica 243 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:45,960 on and do that as some holidays as a family. And then I gave up sailing for a really long 244 00:17:45,960 --> 00:17:51,240 time to pursue my, my other passion, which is horse riding. I started riding horses as 245 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,200 a young kid as well. And by the time I was in my early teens, I was doing quite well 246 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:59,480 at that. So I left home at 18 after I finished school and went to Australia and ended up 247 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:04,040 managing a racing stables out in Australia. And then I came back to Europe and I went 248 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:08,080 to Germany to work for an Olympic dressage rider. Eventually an injury caught up with 249 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:12,560 me basically. And I went to find my way back to boats. I went on to Super Yachts as a deck 250 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,880 hand and a dive master. And the more I got into diving and the more of the sort of world's 251 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:21,880 oceans that I saw, the less in tune with Super Yachts I felt and basically just felt like 252 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:26,040 I didn't belong in that side of the industry at all and disagreed with a lot of the practices 253 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,920 that I was seeing there. So that's when I sort of took a leap of faith and took all 254 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:35,040 my savings and put myself through a fast track confident crew to Yachtmaster off shore course 255 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:40,680 and really just rekindled my passion for sailing. So about two months after I finished the Yachtmaster 256 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:44,720 off shore course, I did the cruising instructor course in England. Got hired the evening that 257 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:49,120 I passed that and basically never left the school that I'd come here to do that on. And 258 00:18:49,120 --> 00:18:54,960 then a year later was the RWA's second youngest female Yachtmaster instructor. And I couldn't 259 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:59,800 picture myself doing anything that's not boat or ocean related now. So this is me for 260 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:02,920 life, we'll see what comes after the Arctic, but it would definitely be something to do 261 00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:03,920 with boats still. 262 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:09,560 I think for most people, the Arctic just do that. It's such an achievement. It's not 263 00:19:09,560 --> 00:19:12,600 even preparing for that kind of element. It's such an achievement. You've done a hell of 264 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:17,920 a lot to date. And in some ways, sorry about the horse riding and the injury, et cetera, 265 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:22,040 but it clearly is something that has seemed to open up relatively seamlessly. I'm not 266 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:26,080 saying easily at all. And I appreciate the challenge and the journey and the work that 267 00:19:26,080 --> 00:19:29,680 you've been through and obviously still going through in order to prepare this before the 268 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,480 hard work for the passage even starts. But it really, even the listening to it sounds 269 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,680 like this is really where you are supposed to be. 270 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:40,160 I feel so as well. And I keep thinking to myself that the passage isn't going to be 271 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:44,920 the hard part. It's all of this sort of prep and planning and the last two years trying 272 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:49,600 to get the sponsors. And I only landed my title partner for funding the extition and 273 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:54,200 helping me with the marketing side of things and social medias in January of this year. 274 00:19:54,200 --> 00:19:59,040 So I was very, very close to basically telling all of the sponsors that I'd gotten on board 275 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:03,000 over the last couple of years that we'd have to postpone to next year because of the shortness 276 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,880 of the timeline of not having the funding and that backing that I really needed. And 277 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:12,120 then my fairy godfather, as I call it, one of the co-founders of company called Capital.com 278 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:16,440 said that Capital.com would like to come on board as my title partner. And that was the 279 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:21,520 game changer. So now it's a fight for trying to get everything done in the timeframe that 280 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:25,720 we're working with to be able to leave this year. And then there's the usual visas and 281 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:29,280 permits and that sort of thing. So I'm waiting to hear back on my visa from Russia, which 282 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:33,800 I've applied for. I wanted to apply for that one first because I thought if I didn't get 283 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:36,960 it, there's not a lot point having visas for all the other countries set up, which are 284 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:41,080 going to be easier processes to go through. So I applied for that about two weeks ago 285 00:20:41,080 --> 00:20:45,880 and they said I'd hear back in three to three and a half weeks. They basically said no news 286 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:50,080 is good news. So if I don't hear anything, I can assume that I'm getting the visa and 287 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:54,200 I haven't heard anything yet. So fingers crossed, my passport should be back with me in a week 288 00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,160 or a week and a half with a merry little stamp in it. 289 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:01,920 Absolutely. You're so close. Ellie, you've obviously had lots of experience in various 290 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:06,120 different elements of the industry, such as Superyachts, as you mentioned. How has that 291 00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:10,120 experience helped informed the way you're going to conduct your own boat? You mentioned 292 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:15,200 some of the products and equipment that you've put on on Yava in preparation for this Arctic 293 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:20,760 Passage, whether it's because of that environment specifically or just an opportunity to help 294 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:26,960 lessen the boat's pollution on our waters. How have you approached your victo-ling and 295 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:32,080 equipment planning? Yeah, it's a bit of both of what you just said, but essentially I'm 296 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:37,320 approaching everything with safety for myself first and then safety for the environment 297 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:43,440 second as my top two reasons for doing anything that we're doing to Yava. So food wise, I'm 298 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:50,160 predominantly going to be living off of freeze-dried food that you rehydrate and pastas, essentially. 299 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:56,680 And the waste out of that is all relatively small, so I can carry the waste with me on 300 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:01,240 the boat in a large space that I've got in the bottom of the cockpit where the steering 301 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:06,000 cables run is essentially going to become the trash store. The water maker that we've 302 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:11,240 put on the boat is so that we can avoid taking tens of thousands of litres of plastic bottles, 303 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:15,520 essentially with us. And then there's the products that you guys are going to be supplying 304 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:21,120 from Clean Sailors, which are sort of sustainable eco-friendly products, which I'm super excited 305 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:24,680 about. And it's just about minimising our impact on the environment, all the way down 306 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:29,040 to the bilges of the boat, if you like. So I've got a sponsor called Wave International 307 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:34,160 who creates these filters for your bilge water system on the boat. And it's a filter that 308 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:40,000 sits in the pipe between where the bilge pump starts pushing water up into the pipes and 309 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:45,040 where the pipe lets it go overboard. And this filter will catch microplastics and microfibres 310 00:22:45,040 --> 00:22:49,000 and anything at all that might make its way down there, bearing in mind that Yeba's got 311 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:54,520 floorboards with thermal insulation and carpet. Obviously, there's, you know, there's fibres 312 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:58,600 around there that I don't want going outside of the boat. So yeah, right down to the bilge 313 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:02,840 is basically everything's been about my safety and the environment safety, as much as we 314 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:07,440 can do to lessen both of our impact, mine and the boat, on where we're going. 315 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:12,520 How difficult or expensive or inexpensive did you find pulling all that stuff together? 316 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:17,720 The filter for the filtration system was really, really simple. Actually, it's just a case 317 00:23:17,720 --> 00:23:24,000 of cutting the bilge pipe, if you like, into two sections and you slot the filter in the 318 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:28,520 middle and just a couple of Jubilee clips and you're good to go. So that was a change 319 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:33,520 that I had never seen one on a boat before until Wave approached me about putting one 320 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:38,200 on Yeba and it's so clever and such a small little unit that I really do think there's 321 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:42,680 room for those to be on a lot more pleasure and commercial craft than what have them currently. 322 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,280 Especially when, I appreciate it doesn't help necessarily black water, but certainly where 323 00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:51,040 holding tanks, et cetera, in the UK in particular, are not so prolific. Obviously, greywater is 324 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,760 one of those things where anything we put down our drains, as you all know, on our boat, 325 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:57,960 goes into the sea. But it sounds like I think one of the things that we often hear, certainly 326 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:02,200 through clean sailors, is that it's expensive or I don't know where to find the products, 327 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:06,840 but it's always great to hear that you've done very objectively and very independently 328 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:11,560 been able to find some solutions that can help mitigate your impact whilst you're out 329 00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:17,040 there. Ella, I appreciate you have got a few more jobs to do on your boat. 330 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:21,840 My electrician sat in the cockpit waiting for me. Dear electricians, thank you for 331 00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:26,840 your patience. But sincerely, it's just great to chat more about your adventure. I'm really, 332 00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:30,640 really excited for you and I'm sure I share the sentiment with many that are very much 333 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:35,080 looking forward to your final weeks of prep and obviously then your departure. But Ella, 334 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:40,120 all the very best and as again, your own words again, that this isn't a record attempt, 335 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:45,120 it's a wake up call. And if you had one message for sailors, ocean lovers or actually anybody 336 00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:50,120 listening, what would it be? I think just to try and minimise our impact is really the 337 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:54,920 best thing that we can be doing as sailors to protect the environment that we enjoy so 338 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:59,640 much. So look at your boats, look at your systems, see if there's anything that can 339 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:05,120 be swapped for more sustainable technologies or grab yourself one of these bilge filter 340 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:10,800 systems and just try and take care of the environment that we all love to enjoy together. 341 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:16,920 Ella, soon to be world first single handed nonstop circumnavigator of the Arctic Circle 342 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:21,720 and ocean minded human being. Thank you so much for your time today. 343 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:27,760 Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. 344 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:31,840 I've been listening to the Clean Sailors podcast. All relevant links to the projects 345 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:36,320 and people we talk to can be found with the podcast link. For all episodes or to get in 346 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:41,400 touch, just visit CleanSailors.com. We love to hear from you. We believe that great ideas 347 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:46,240 should be shared, which is why our podcast is free to appear on. So if you've got a project, 348 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:52,000 idea or topic, you think we should be discussing, get in touch. In the meantime, thank you for 349 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:58,000 listening and see you for the next episode.