MacArthur sets new equator record

Map: Ellen's route Photos of Ellen at the equator

British sailor Ellen MacArthur has set a new solo fastest time to the equator.

Chasing Francis Joyon's 72-day round-the-world record, MacArthur entered the southern hemisphere in eight days and 18 hours, 14 hours faster than Joyon.

"A gust of wind kicked in just as we approached the line so we sped in to the southern hemisphere at over 14 knots... nice!" she told her website.

MacArthur may lose time in the next few days as she negotiates the Saint Helena high, which must be passed to the west.

"The tactics for the next two to three days are to set up for the proper angle to sail between the high and the low," she reported from her 75-foot trimaran B&Q.

"Once we get into the proper wind slot, it will determine whether we have a quick passage into the westerlies or a slow passage. It will be quite tense the end of this week."

In the nine days since setting sail from Falmouth, MacArthur has made a fantastic start in her record attempt.

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

She has consistently been ahead of the pace set by Frenchman Joyon last year when he broke the record in a time of of 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds.

MacArthur's 15-knot average speed was cut by the expected light winds of the doldrums - but she managed to hang onto enough of her advantage to see her reach the equator in record solo time.

In the current Vendee Globe, it took Jean Le Cam in his Open 60 monohull 10.5 days to get the equator compared to Ellen's 2000 Vendee Globe time of 14 days and 8 hours.

In Olivier de Kersauson's Jules Verne attempt last winter on board Geronima, the fully-crewed multihull set a new time of 6 days, 11 hours and 26 minutes.

However, despite Ellen's record pace, she still has 20,000 miles to go - and is yet to enter the most dangerous regions.

She will soon round the Cape of Good Hope and turning left at the bottom of the Atlantic, will enter the Southern Ocean, in which she faces a treacherous 15,000-mile voyage through the most savage seas on the planet.