The British yachtswoman is just 88 miles behind race leader Michel Desjoyeaux - and is sailing two thirds of a knot faster than the Frenchman.

Desjoyeaux has struggled to find a way through the light winds of the South Atlantic high pressure zone - while MacArthur has sailed with tactical assurance.

"I've got going again, but the other thing is that she has too!" said Desjoyeaux.

The 23-year-old trailed Desjoyeaux's yacht PSB by 750 miles when she rounded Cape Horn 10 days ago.

But she staged a phenomenal fightback to close the gap as the pair move through the South Atlantic.

Fellow yachtsman Thomas Coville, currently standing in sixth place, paid tribute to her performance.

"Ellen has sailed a perfect route," he said.

Good position

Furthermore, MacArthur is further west than Desjoyeaux, which means she is better placed to sail into the fast winds and should be able to take the lead.

She is also further away from the centre of the Atlantic and therefore less likely to get stuck in the doldrums, the calms that lie just north of the Equator between Africa and Central America.

Desjoyeaux is around 5,000 miles from the finishing line in the western French port of Les Sables d'Olonne.

MacArthur has a lead of 234 miles over Frenchman Mark Thiercelin, who lies in third place just ahead of Roland Jourdain.

However, both men are to the west and hoping to avoid the calm zones completely which will boost their challenge for second place.