Solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari is ‘extremely tired and physically drained’ after battling her 72ft yacht Aviva through a series of Southern Ocean storms as she attempts the first non-stop, wrong- way circumnavigation by a female.

After fighting the latest gale she reports: ‘I was absolutely exhausted; I was hungry and dehydrated, really badly needed the toilet and needed sleep. The sea has not lost its anger yet, although its colour has returned to a deep blue rather than the grey beneath the foam and wind blown seas.’

Dee added: ‘Another storm survived, although it is great to come through the other side unscathed, I cannot help thinking in the back of my mind that each one must be pushing our luck further to the limit. Conditions are more difficult to deal with, as Aviva and I are getting more and more tired.’

As well as handling the boat, Dee has been faced with a long list of repairs which have included: fixing a smashed guard rail and bending on a new genoa sheet. The latter job required her to drop, fix and rehoist a sail weighing in at 65Kg (when dry) at night.