"Awesome"

When Ellen MacArthur arrived exhausted, but in high spirits in Falmouth on 9th February 2005 to rapturous applause and worldwide acclaim, she still had time to highlight the excellent performance of B&G and its equipment during her voyage: "My B&G autopilots were awesome and my B&G instruments never faltered over the 27,348 miles. It was great to have the B&G team behind me 24/7 and if I had to do it again, I would not hesitate in choosing B&G."

B&G, our performance sailing division and long time Performance Partner to Ellen MacArthur and Offshore Challenges provided B&Q with a state of the art h2000 instrument and autopilot system. Ellen was in full control from anywhere on B&Q using the new wireless B&G RemoteVision system. Her confidence was also buoyed by the technical assistance and support provided by B&G technical staff who were available on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the challenge.

"We were available to take calls from Ellen and her team at all times of the day or night, and were more than happy to help out whenever we were needed," commented Technical Director at B&G, David Minors. "We knew our equipment would give Ellen the edge but we also made a commitment to provide her with any kind of support she needed to ensure maximum performance from the equipment which worked well throughout the voyage."

Ellen and Offshore Challenges are a part of B&G's new Custom Projects program, where teams and skippers receive a bespoke service from B&G's team of technical experts.

Ellen also benefited from the new B&G RemoteVision, the wireless handheld instrument and pilot controller that provides full control of h2000 instruments and autopilots from anywhere onboard. From grabbing 40 minutes of sleep down below to fixing her mainsail track 30m up the mast, Ellen was safe in the knowledge that she could react immediately to any navigation or performance problems using RemoteVision.

"Congratulations to Ellen and Offshore Challenges from the whole team at B&G. This stunning RTW record was achieved through Ellen's sheer stamina, determination and skill as a world-class yachtswoman," said B&G's Managing Director, Richard Acland. "We are delighted that the B&G instruments and pilots onboard B&Q gave Ellen such a good service and we look forward to supporting her next challenge."

Ellen's record-breaking performance comes just days after the first Vendée Globe skippers arrived home. This was another occasion of celebration for B&G as three of the first five finishers had h2000 instruments and pilots with RemoteVision onboard.