The World Speed Sailing Record Committee (WSSR) have announced that endurance rower Maud de Fontenoy’s forthcoming westabout circumnavigation attempt – click here for previous story– is not being attempted under WSSR rules, and her route has not received approval. It cannot therefore be considered as an attempt on Dee Caffari’s World Record.
The WSSR Rule for Around the World – rule 26a – calls for a minimum orthodromic track distance of the vessel of at least 21,600 nautical miles (the distance of the great circle). To achieve this it is necessary to start off Ushant or some other remote place in the Northern Hemisphere.

While starting in the Southern Ocean and then sailing around the Antarctic – as Fontenoy intends – is an achievement, the distance will be only 12,000 nm(approx) and cannot therefore be described as an Around the World voyage under the WSSR Rules.

The World Record for Around the World Westabout. Singlehanded non-stop Women is:?Yacht: “Aviva” 72 ft Monohull.?Name: Dee Caffari GBR?Dates: 21st November 2005 to 18th May 2006?Start time: 13: 49: 29 GMT?Finish time: 16: 55: 03 GMT?Elapsed time: 178 days 3 hours 5 minutes 34 seconds