Ellen MacArthur and her crew on the giant catamaran Kingfisher 2, pictured above, are standing by for a weather window to provide some southern propulsion at the start to their ambitious attempt on the Jules Verne Trophy.

After weeks of preparation, the crew are now ready to set sail for the gruelling non-stop round the world record though optimum weather conditions, to give them a vital dash from the start line off Ushant, north west tip of Brittany, down south, could prove elusive over the next few days.

"We have spent the last couple of days cleaning the boat and stocking things on board so we will be able to leave more easily," said MacArthur from Lorient, where the boat is based waiting for their departure signal.

"The weather window looks as if it might be a few days away. It's a nerve-racking time because you are waiting to go but until the weather is right, you can't. It's going to be difficult - there's a lot to do but you are thinking about being out there.

"It's a very exciting moment - I am excited, the crew are excited. I cannot wait to get out there with them and get on with it, but we must now play the waiting game for the right weather window to arrive.

"The weather now is south-westerly winds, quite strong, and they will not abate for a

while. There will be no wind that we can shoot south with so we are waiting for a high pressure so we can get some wind from the northern

sector and move south as fast as we can

"We are excited but we are also tired. It has been a massive challenge getting the boat ready. Everyone has been working 18 hours a day so we are hoping to get some sleep before we leave."

The 14 crew are now on three types of alert, waiting for a

weather window to materalise.

Red is a 24-hour alert which means the crew must be within Europe though with no obvious weather window in view.

Amber gives them six hours to get to Lorient, where Kingfisher 2 is currently based and green means the crew must be ready for departure within 12 hours.

Once the crew arrive at the base, Kingfisher 2 can be ready to leave the dockside within hours, but it could take up to 12 hours to sail to the start line.

Olivier de Kersauson's Jules Verne record attempt on board Geronimo is now into day five heading towards the Cape Verde Islands.

The giant cat has been averaging 20 knots and 480+ mile days and is well ahead of the 64 day and eight hour record set by 'Orange' last year.