I recall Ellen Macarthurs drive on top gear, a lady that does not normally drive a car scored the fatsest ever lap time, perhaps if she had applied herself to motor racing instead of sailing she would have been the first female F1 champion.
-Gareth
Actually the (mainly french) ocean racing community did not regard Ellen very highly as a sailor (not as a person).
I for one do not think of her as someone with exceptional sailing "talent".
She gained a lot of experience in a short time because she convinced people of her potential,
this got her funds to pay for crew positions with some successful french skippers/teams which in turn snowballed to bigger things.
(Sailing with the french top guys looks good on your resume).
Maybe she, together with Steve Fossett, shows that with loads of training, experience, and a strong mind people can become a top sailors.
