Their giant catamaran Kingfisher 2, which spent more than 24 hours in Plymouth undergoing repairs, was expected to cross the start line for their Jules Verne trophy record bid in the early hours of tomorrow.

Operations director Mark Turner said it was 120 miles, or a four or five hour sail, to Ushant for the start.

He said it was a good thing the mast problem happened just before the start.

"If it happened a week in it would certainly have been a bigger problem," he added.

McArthur, 26, said of the round the world record: "We believe we can beat it."

She praised the help they had received locally during their unscheduled stop.

While in Plymouth two sections of mast track the metal runner on the main mast that the sail runs up and down, were removed and replaced.

Replacement mast track was supplied by fellow round the world yachtswoman Tracy Edwards from the racer Maiden 2.

MacArthur and her crew are set to sail the catamaran 26,000 miles around the world, taking on Cape Horn and the Southern Ocean.

They are aiming to beat the present record of 64 days, eight hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds set last May by Frenchman Bruno Peyron.

The Isle of Wight-based yachtswoman and her team had spent the last three months intensively preparing for the challenge at a former Second World War U-boat base in Lorient, France, before yesterday’s aborted start.