New challenge begins
By Ellen MacArthur

Now back from her record-breaking win in the Route du Rhum, Ellen MacArthur tells BBC Sport Online about her latest challenge - the round-the-world Jules Verne record attempt.

I've never finished a race as tired, so it's great to finally be able to take a few days off. I've done a lot of sleeping!

There's no rest for the wicked though - I'm travelling to Paris on Thursday to get ready for the Jules Verne.

I'm more or less stepping off one boat on to the next

I can't wait to get started on my new boat, Kingfisher II.

She's been worked on out of the water in the Isle of Wight for the last six weeks, and then sailed across the English Channel to Cherbourg to get a new mast.

A project like this needs a big team behind it, especially when I'm more or less stepping off one boat on to the next.

I've been taking advice from all sorts of people, in terms of assembling the 14-strong crew, but ultimately it is my decision - I've got to sail with them.

We are off some time in mid-January and will wait for the best winds.

The record that we hope to break is 64 days, and we are up against a boat led by Olivier de Kersauson, but it is not a race, it is a record attempt.

I've not done as much crew-racing as some of them, but they're all awesome guys so we're really looking forward to it.