MacArthur starts record attempt

Feature: Sailing with Ellen

Ellen MacArthur began her attempt at the solo round-the-world speed record at 0810 GMT on Sunday.

Her state-of-the-art giant trimaran B&Q passed the start line at the island of Ushant off the north coast of France in winds of 28-30 knots from the NNW.

MacArthur, 28, is chasing the record of 72 days, 22 hours and 54 minutes set by Frenchman Francis Joyon, who knocked 20 days off the previous best in February.

"I feel sick with nerves and only slept 10 mins in the night," said MacArthur.

Speaking on her website, MacArthur talked of her "relief to be over the line".

"I was so nervous and very emotional even just seeing the guys in the helicopters above," she said.

"Crossed line doing 27 knots, pretty quick! Averaging around 20 knots boat speed, that will do, thank you very much! We're on our way, just get on with it now."

Joyon smashes record

Joyon sent the Briton a message of good luck on her "big adventure".

Isle-of-Wight based MacArthur had based the 75ft B&Q in Falmouth, Cornwall, from 15 November, waiting for the right weather conditions to speed her south.

"We want the wind from behind or on her side but not in front," she said.

B&Q stats: Length: 22.9m (75ft) Width: 16.2m (53ft) Weight: 8 tonnes Mast height: 30m (100ft) Sail area: Main - 160sq m: Genoa 106 sq m: Large gennaker 213 sq m

"So we're looking for a high-pressure area over the Azores that basically means the trade winds will be strong further down the track after the start and if the trade winds are strong we can get across equator quickly.

"To break this record we will need the weather on our side to try and average over 15 knots around the planet.

"I will need to keep the boat together as best I can and myself too, in what will be a punishing environment - on top of that we will definitely need a bit of luck to carry us around quickly and safely."

The start is an imaginary line between Ushant, France, and the Lizard, UK, the traditional jumping-off point for the Jules Verne crewed round-the-world record attempts, though as it is a solo record, she could have started anywhere.

Only five solo sailors have attempted a record circumnavigation on a multihull and only Joyon made it all the way round non-stop.

In 1989, France's Olivier de Kersauson stopped to make repairs in his 125-day trip, as did Philippe Monnet in 1987 and Alain Colas in 1974.

During the Golden Globe race of 1968-69, won by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston in the monohull Suhaili, Nigel Tetley's multihull Victress sank 1100 miles from the finish, though as he had crossed his outbound track he had technically lapped the planet.