Sailing: MacArthur over Equator

Ellen MacArthur crossed the Equator yesterday on course to break the existing Jules Verne round-the-world record.

MacArthur and her crew on Kingfisher 2 reached the southern hemisphere seven days 18 hours and 33 minutes after setting sail from Ushant, France.

But they are off the pace being set by the Frenchman Olivier de Kersauson, who set sail on Geronimo two weeks beforehand and has just set a new world-best of 26 days from Ushant to Australia.

MacArthur hopes to break the Jules Verne record of 64 days held by Bruno Peyron, but unfortunately, light winds will persist until she breaks free of the Doldrums.