Wary MacArthur on iceberg alert

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Ellen MacArthur has endured some anxious moments on her round-the-world record attempt after spotting large icebergs just two miles to the north.

MacArthur had taken a more northerly route to avoid an ice zone but was concerned to see two 50-metre icebergs.

The 28-year-old Briton had her best day of sailing so far on New Year's Eve, covering 484.5 miles.

But her two-and-a-half day advantage over Francis Joyon's record is being eroded because of her current course.

MacArthur, who has averaged about six hours' sleep over the past five days, passed the halfway mark of her journey on Friday in her 75-foot multihull B&Q.

There is a risk that there could be more icebergs around Ellen MacArthur

She has covered more than 14,800 miles of her 26,000-mile route, and crossed the International Date Line on Sunday.

B&Q is now heading away from Campbell Island, which is about 350 miles south of mainland New Zealand.

"It's pretty hard to judge how big the icebergs are, but I guess they were the size of ships," said MacArthur.

"There is a risk that there could be more icebergs around, although I'm hoping with the water temperature increasing that the risk has decreased."

MacArthur's next target is Cape Horn, about 4,000 miles to the east, where she will exit the Southern Ocean and return to the Atlantic.

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She must cross the finish line at Ushant off the French coast no later than 9 February if she is to beat Frenchman Joyon's record of 72 days, 22 hours, 54 minutes and 22 seconds.

MacArthur's challenge was not affected by the Asian tsunamis because in the open ocean it only takes the form of a rise in water level.

But she said her thoughts were with the victims of the disaster.

"My biggest wish for New Year is that the situation can come back as close to normal as soon as possible, with as little pain as possible," she said.