Ellen MacArthur gives up on trans-Atlantic record

British sailor Ellen MacArthur abandoned her attempt to break the solo trans-Atlantic record this year because hurricanes have affected weather patterns.

MacArthur had been on standby since Sept. 1, prepared to leave New York on short notice aboard her high-tech trimaran for Lizard Point off the coast of Britain.

MacArthur, who this year broke the solo around-the-world record, needed a perfect weather system that she could hook into and ride all the way to the mouth of the English Channel to have a shot at the record. But the destabilizing effects of hurricanes and tropical storms have prevented the normal pattern from forming.

MacArthur had been in New York in early September, then returned to Britain to train while waiting for ideal weather. She recently has been in France preparing for a forthcoming race.

In early July, French skipper Francis Joyon took a stunning 22 hours off the previous trans-Atlantic record, sailing the distance in 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute, 37 seconds.

MacArthur tried to break the solo trans-Atlantic record in June 2004, but missed by 75 minutes.

In February, MacArthur set the solo round-the-world record of 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, 33 seconds. That broke Joyon's record by more than a day, AP reports.

А. А.