SHE has battled against mountainous seas and gale force winds but last night British yachtswoman Ellen MacArthur became the fastest person to sail single-handed around the world.

The 28-year-old from the Isle of Wight completed the 26,000-mile challenge in 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds - smashing one day, eight hours and 35 minutes off the previous record held by Frenchman Francis Joyon.

The exhausted sailor crossed the finish line in her 75ft trimaran B&Q between Lizard Point, Cornwall, and Ushant off the French coast just after 10.30pm yesterday (February 7).

Ellen will now return to Falmouth, Cornwall, where she started her record attempt on November 27, to be met by crowds of fans and media from around the world.

After crossing the finish line, Ellen said: "I cannot believe it, I absolutely cannot believe it. It hasn't sunk in yet.

"I don't think until I see faces again that it's really going to sink in. It's been an absolutely unbelievable journey both physically and mentally. I'm absolutely overjoyed."

Over the weekend Ellen and B&Q battled through a Force Eight gale, with giant waves and winds gusting up to 40 knots.

Earlier in the attempt, Ellen was five days ahead of the record time but technical problems with her mainsail and light winds eroded her lead.

The Derbyshire-born sailor burnt her arm badly changing back to her main generator and was battered and bruised fixing further technical problems with her mainsail - the main "engine room" of the boat.

Ellen was aged just 18 when in 1995, she sailed in her 21 foot yacht Iduna around Britain, and became the Young Sailor of the Year.

Ocean rower Mark Stubbs from Poole has been following her progress over the past couple of months.

Having taken on the Atlantic three times in the past eight years, he is no stranger to the challenges Mother Nature can throw at a boat and her crew.

"She is an inspiration to men and women. She has taken on the ocean and to succeed in such a tough environment shows the kind of character she has."

And he praised her support crew for helping steer her through.

"It is a great reassurance to know there is somebody there at the end of the satellite phone," he added.

Part of a four-strong team, Mark, who has met Ellen several times, attempted the break the world record for the fastest west to east Atlantic crossing last summer.

After 39 days at sea, rowing two hours on, two hours off, their dream, painfully close to becoming a reality, was smashed by a huge wave that split the boat in two.

The weather had never been on their side, but Mark remained positive throughout.

"Ellen's mindset has been very important. She would have been completely focused on the positives rather than the negatives," he said.

"There will have been times she has sat down in the cockpit of the boat and thought this is not going to happen. But it does because of the support behind her and the drive she has to make it happen.

"She has conquered the world - an amazing thing to do."

Fact file

Ellen's 75-ft boat B&Q was made in Sydney, Australia, and cost £2 million to develop and build.

The boat is a trimaran, which means it has three hulls, and that makes it very fast. It weighs 8.3 tonnes, and its mast is over 90 feet high.

B&Q is able to hit speeds of over 30 knots in the right conditions, but sailing it requires considerable skill, because if it goes too fast it could break up in rough seas. The key is to know when to sail it fast and when apply the brake to slow down.

The boat was made to Ellen's specifications including her height. So many people find below quite cramped, especially her bunk.

There is only one cooker ring on board that allows Ellen to boil water for her freeze-dried food. During the attempt she consumed 5,000 calories a day to help keep her strength up.

The boat does not carry water and Ellen had to use watermakers which desalinate sea water. Throughout the challenge Ellen had problems with the watermakers.

All the way through the attempt Ellen suffered exhaustion through sleep deprivation. Help was at hand from Doctor Claudio Stampi, a sleep specialist from Harvard University, Boston. He developed sleep patterns for the sailor including cat naps of five to 45 minutes to maintain performance.

First published: February 8