Ms Caffari hopes to finish sometime after the 17 May

Dee Caffari, 32, a former teacher from Gosport, Hampshire, set off last November and is sailing against the prevailing winds and currents.

She hopes to cross the finish line sometime after 17 May, after 26,000 miles and 171 days at sea.

Ms Caffari is forecast good sailing in the final 1,000 miles of her journey.

Communicating via email, Ms Caffari said she was looking forward to "supermarket shopping, driving at a speed faster than 11mph, making more than one cup of tea and having other people involved in my life everyday".

But her personal coach, Harry Spedding, said she might struggle with some aspects of life back on dry land.

He said: "She has been working on one aspect that will be difficult for her - walking.

"Over the last six months, Dee has had a possible maximum walking distance of 73 feet. Her hamstrings have shortened, and without good stretching exercises, she would really struggle when she gets home.

"With the finish in sight, Dee is now stretching more often. After all, she is keen to be able to walk off the dock to celebrate being home."

During her voyage she has had to deal with a bout of technical problems and icebergs and storms while crossing the treacherous Southern Ocean.