Born for the raging high seas

Trans-globe navigator Ellen MacArthur knew her life’s passion from the moment she set sail with an aunt at age 8. She would ride that wave until she became one of the most highly regarded sailors in the world.

“Taking on the World” tracks her course from landlocked Derbyshire, England to months alone in raging seas in the 2000 Vendee-Globe round-the-world race. Her second-place finish is a tribute as much to her drive and resourcefulness in what is still very much a man’s sport as it is to her sailing and racing skills.

— Michael Koehn