Inspired by Ellen

James Boyd spoke to Milton Keynes-based solo sailor in the making, Karen Hodges

It was just a matter of time before it happened, and now there may be a new Ellen MacArthur in the making.

Compared to Ellen's well documented path from childhood in Derbyshire to sailing courses to sailing round Britain in her Corribee to the Mini Transat, etc etc Karen Hodges embarked on what might be described as 'stage two' on the road to Ellendom yesterday when she set off round Britain on an 18ft Caprice.

Hodges, a 24 year old from Milton Keynes - as equally an unlikely spot in the heart of England as Ellen's Whatstandwell, Derbs - became inspired to follow Ellen's path when she happened to see some footage of la petite anglaise's Vendee Globe on the television. "I saw it on News at 10 as I was feeding my face with chips. And I thought 'wow', what the hell was that?"

Brought up in the Buckinghamshire new town, much maligned for its American-style grid layout, Hodges went to university in Coventry where she studied art (by coincidence Ellen is also a talented artist). Since then she has been back in Milton Keynes working in the accounts department of PC retailers Ingram Micro.

"I didn't know anything about sailing before," Hodges told madfor sailing. "I don't think I'd ever seen a race before. It was just the image of one person on a yacht and the sea. So I did the research, I read about all the other singlehanded sailors and now I'm just completely into the whole trip. It is a very cool story that she's from Derbyshire and daddy didn't buy her a yacht."

Hodges has been sailing for about a year now. "The first time I stepped on a yacht was on a competent crew course," she said of her debut at Southern Sailing School. "It was absolutely freezing, the coldest week, we had hail, but I still enjoyed it and I went back for more." She has currently got up to Yachtmaster theory level and is just short of miles to do the practical. "My instructor says I'm up to it, it's just a case of doing the practical when I get back."

She made the mistake of telling someone on one course that she had been inspired to take up sailing by Ellen and was going to do the Mini Transat. "On the courses I kept on getting called Ellen, regardless. It would be "Ellen, go up the front, we're doing a spinnaker change". Hodges is slightly embarrassed by the comparison but says that Ellen and Mark Turner's company Offshore Challenges is keen on getting new blood into the sport using the Ellen model and she is merely obliging.

RYA SOLO, the Royal Yachting Association singlehanded offshore racing sub-committee has been helpful with assisting Hodges and have lent her a laptop with which she can send back her logs (which you will able to read on madforsailing). She was also helped on her way by being a winner in the Harken/ madfor sailing competition held in December. "They've been brilliant. I'd just ask for something and it has been in the post the next day." Her employers Ingram Micro, purchased her a radar detector.

Over the course of last year she got involved sailing on the JOG circuit and took part in most of the calendar sailing Sigma 38s, Nic 32s and a Beneteau 32.7. Then in October Hodges purchased her 18 footer. Like Ellen's Corribee Iduna, it is a Robert Tucker design and was purchased from Nationwide Boat Sales in Chesterfield. She only got to sail her for the first time a month ago having spent the winter refitting her for the trip. "I kept finding more and more jobs and things I needed as I got more experience. So I got delayed getting the boat done."

Hodges set off from the Royal Harwich Yacht Club in Ipswich on Saturday. Her round Britain tour is to go clockwise round and will take in the west coast of Ireland and the Shetlands, although she says she will not be going around the outside of the Hebrides. "It was going to be fast with as long legs as possible, but I'm keeping it to 30 miles a day and will then stretch it out as my experience grows." At this rate she will be back in Harwich by the end of September. "I plan to do some overnights, but not for the first few legs."

She has 200 miles of singlehanded sailing under her belt to date. "There's the transistion from being a crew to being out there on your own. But I feel confident I can do this. So long as I am clever with the weather and the nav, I can make it a successful trip."

Obviously such a trip costs money, but Hodges says she'll deal with this later. "It is all on credit cards, I'll cope with it when I get back!" If ever she has come up against a brick wall she has sought inspiration from Ellen (although the two have yet to meet). "If I think 'God, I can't do it' you think what she would do in the same situation." Further motivation comes from the fact that she is also using the trip to help raise money for Cancer Research.

After the round Britain tour, Hodges plans to take part in the Mini Transat. "I'm fairly certain about this. I don't know I'd manage this one coming (2003). I don't know much about finding funds. From what I have read it sounds like you need an 18 months project. My plan would be to go for it. I would hope to have a decent boat. I wouldn't want to cause any trouble." She is also using the round Britain trip to see if she is cut out for the life of a singlehander. "I want to make sure I've got the mental strengths to cope on my own first. With singlehanded sailing it has a lot to do with mental strength and stamina. I want to make sure I have those attributes."

Over the next few days KLaren will will be stopping in Brightlingsea, Queensboro and then Ramsgate before heading around to the south coast. So if you see a tiny boat called Loon@Sea with a white deck, blue topsides and a lone girl on board - honk your horn or the marine equivalent.