Francis Joyon is on course to arrive in Brest, in Brittany, this evening to set a solo circumnavigation record of 58 days. Last weekend it seemed that the mast might come down on his 97ft IDEC II, but the Frenchman has carried out sufficient repairs to return to his record-breaking pace.

After Joyon had broken the previous solo record in 2004 by 20 days, Ellen MacArthur, on B&Q, beat his mark by 32 hours a year later. MacArthur will be in Brest to welcome Joyon, who should post a time 13 days quicker than she managed. He has broken every intermediate record on his circumnavigation and if he finishes as scheduled his record will be closer to the crewed circumnavigation record - of 50 days and 16 hours - than to MacArthur’s time.

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