THERE are not many women who would follow their ex-husband to the ends of the earth.

But that is just what Louise Flanagan has been doing for the past two-and-a-half years.

As solo sailor Adrian Flana-gan, 47, set out to fulfil a boyhood ambition, Louise has masterminded his every movement as his expedition manager.

With devotion she ensured he was safe and well as he faced everything that life could throw at him on his single-handed circumnavigation of the globe via both North and South Poles.

Today was set to be emotional as Adrian greeted Louise, 47, and their children, Benjamin, nine, and six-year-old Gabriel.

The sailing community was set to give him a hero's welcome as he returned to the Royal Southern Yacht Club where he set sail on his epic voyage in October 2005.

Hours before the sailor was due to arrive home in his steel yacht Barrabas, Louise told the Daily Echo: "It is going to be very emotional. I should put on my waterproof mascara."

She described how she met Adrian 12 years ago and they married after a whirlwind romance.

The couple divorced five years ago and Louise said: "People find our relationship difficult to work out.

"But people get divorced for a reason. Adrian and I could not live together but in a curious way we could not conceive of our lives without each other.

"We are the best of friends and I have had the responsibility of keeping him safe and cared for even though on occasions he had been thousands of miles away.

"While he was away I kept him in touch with what was going on in the real world and how the children were getting on."

But Louise revealed that she was not always in favour of Adrian's plan to sail around the world. He first broke the news when he took her out to dinner after they had just been divorced.

She said: "When he told me what he was going to do I was none too pleased. Here I was in my 40s, recently divorced, with two very little children and my ex-husband tells me that he is about to disappear for at least a year."

Louise said it took about four or five months to accept that is what he wanted to do.

She said: "In the beginning I was reluctant. Then I thought how could I let him go for this amount of time doing this treacherous undertaking and have to ring someone else to ask where he was so I could tell the boys."

Louise was also able to use her background in public relations and marketing and she created the Alpha Global Expedition website. Between 65,000 to 70,000 people a week have read Adrian's blog of his action packed adventure.

As she plotted his course there have been some anxious moments for Louise. On day five Adrian was swept off his boat.

She said: "I was watching TV in my sitting room in Bucking-hamshire when I get Adrian on the phone telling me that he has parted company with his boat with no lifeline on. I am thousands of miles away with a feeling of utter helplessness."

When he arrives home one of Adrian's first jobs will be to write the last chapter of his book, Over the Top, which will be published on October 9.

Tonight, the Flanagan family will be glued to the TV watching Chelsea v Manchester United in the Champions League final.

They will be cheering on the Blues as it was Chelsea chairman Roman Abramovich who sliced through Russian tape for Adrian to fulfil his boyhood dream to circumnavigate the globe via the Russian Arctic.