11:53am (UK)
Third World Record for Yachtswoman Ellen
By Lesley Richardson, PA
British yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur has broken a third world record in her bid to become the fastest person to sail single-handedly round the world, it emerged today.
The 28-year-old set a new solo time to Cape Leeuwin, on the south-west tip of Australia, of 29 days, 14 hours and five minutes last night in her 75ft trimaran B&Q.
MacArthur, from Cowes, Isle of Wight, is one day, 15 hours and six minutes ahead of the current record-holder, Frenchman Francis Joyon – her biggest advantage since she set off on November 28.
Joyon sailed solo and non-stop round the world in 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds.
MacArthur has managed to put B&Q further south to take a much more direct course than the Frenchman’s route.
Intense Southern Ocean storms forced Joyon to sail a longer distance, a few hundred miles further north than MacArthur, during his record-breaking attempt in December last year.
MacArthur is on day 31 of her challenge, averaging 400 miles a day, as she heads towards south-east New Zealand and hundreds of miles of icebergs.
The 5ft 2in sailor must choose whether to sail close to New Zealand where there is very little wind, or risk sailing around the hundreds of miles of ice.
She said: “The worrying thing is, looking at going under New Zealand, it looks pretty bad, to be honest – there’s a big light patch.
“Commanders are adamant not to go south and in amongst the ‘bergs and I agree, I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.
“But looking at the file, there’s a really big light patch sitting right over the gap between New Zealand and the islands further south – and its really light, we’re talking five knots of breeze.
“There seems to be another option in the weather files which is to go more south now and then to go gybe and come back up north to go to the east of Campbell Island but west of the icebergs, so squeeze between the two – that’s another option for sure.”
MacArthur is fast approaching the halfway mark, under Tasmania, having sailed 12,394 miles of the 26,000-mile challenge and was expected to arrive at that point on Thursday night into Friday.
She must cross the finish line at Ushant, off the French coast, no later than February 9 next year if she is to better Joyon’s record.
She has already smashed his record from the English Channel to the Cape of Good Hope in Africa by 10 hours, 45 minutes and has also set a new fastest mark to the Equator.
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