MacArthur sets second solo record

Map: Ellen's route

Ellen MacArthur has broken a second record as she makes good progress on her solo round-the-world challenge.

MacArthur took 19 days, nine hours and 46 minutes to sail from the English Channel to the Cape of Good Hope.

She beat Francis Joyon's record by 10 hours 45 minutes, having already set a new solo fastest time to the equator.

The 28-year-old from Cowes is 16 hours and 28 minutes ahead of Joyon's solo round-the-world record with just over a quarter of her 26,000-mile trip gone.

MacArthur, who is on day 20 of her attempt in the 75ft trimaran B&Q, is entering the Southern Ocean where she faces a tough Christmas battling cold and heavy seas.

She has already had to deal with a faulty generator and back-up unit, and has had to fix her unit for making fresh water.

"If you isolate the Southern Ocean segment (Cape of Good Hope to Cape Horn), then Joyon sailed approximately 12,044 miles at an average speed of 17.3 knots. That's an average of 415 miles per day," she said.

"Effectively, that is my target now. I have to do better than that if I can. I think it is do-able if I can keep me and B&Q together."

To beat the record, MacArthur will have to cross the finish line at Ushant off the French coast no later than 9 February.