Emma Richards returned to the Volvo Ocean Race in Rio de Janeiro this week after a frantic visit home to announce her involvement in Tracy Edwards' high-profile campaign for the Jules Verne Trophy.

Shell-shocked after her first taste of Volvo Ocean Racing in the Southern Ocean on all-women's boat Amer Sports Too, Southampton yachtswoman Richards quickly switched into her new role as a crewmember on Maiden II, the 110-foot catamaran that next year will try and break the 71-day record for non-stop sailing round the world.

In between her busy schedule of media commitments, including an appearance on Richard and Judy's Channel 4 programme, The Daily Echo caught up with her to find out more about the Maiden II project and how she enjoyed the gruelling fourth leg of the VOR, which had some of her rugged male rivals claiming 'never again'.

While a member of Edward's crew that made an unsuccessful attempt on the Jules Verne record in 1998 on Royal & SunAlliance - they were dismasted after 43 days while ahead of schedule - this was her first experience of fully crewed racing in the Southern Ocean, having joined a crew who have been heavily criticised for their lack of performance in the VOR after coming last in all four legs.

"I was apprehensive about joining the Amer Sports Too team because they were a highly professional team more than half way through their campaign," she said.

"Maybe it was a good thing I was so worried because, when I got there, it was nothing like what I expected.

"I knew I would pick up the sailing side of it okay. It was the people side I was nervous about but I had absolutely no problems," said Richards, who has carved out an impressive career in short-handed sailing following her success in two Transat Jacques Vabres races.

"They were fantastic - at the end of the day we are all a bunch of girls doing our own sailing thing and I was really impressed with the way they sailed.

"I'd love the critical journalists to go out and sail with them, even for a day, because it would silence them.

"The number of sail changes, kite peels, reefs in, reefs out we did was incredible.

"All of it was clean and there was a great sense of teamwork. Every error was analysed. In fact, we focussed more on the errors than we did on the good stuff - when we did well, we would just say 'nice work' to each other.

"I don't believe the guys do any more in terms of making the boat go fast, but we might need more hands to do some things and we might do it slower than the guys.

"But the difference does not justify the stick we got. If we had bigger muscles, we'd use them.

"In the last leg, I think we quietened the critics. We finished less than 500 miles behind the winners illbruck after 6,500 nm of racing which was a great achievement and everybody was pleased.

"Noone was downhearted despite the criticism and I can't wait until the next leg," she said, referring to the Rio to Baltimore leg starting on March 9.

The absence of big muscles on Maiden II would not affect their chances of setting a new record for the Jules Verne, she added.

"The cat is a big heavy boat, but when we joined Royal & SunAlliance we had the same sort of apprehensions and we worked our way round it and dealt with it.

"The guys would probably do things differently but we have to work out our own ways to make the boat go faster.

"I genuinely believe an all-women's crew can beat the record. If we have the opportunity to achieve high numbers in the Southern Ocean, there is no reason why we can't shave a few days off.

"There is always this thing attached to women's sailing that we are just there to make up the numbers and we know that we will not be counted as good sailors until we have either won the Volvo or beaten the record, so every chance we get, we have to grab it and make an impression."