Ellen MacArthur and Mike Golding resume their single-handed racing careers, for the first time since last year's Vendee Globe, when the Route du Rhum gets underway next weekend from St Malo in France.

MacArthur, sailing her recently refitted Open 60 Kingfisher, finally left Cowes on Monday after the gales that swept across the UK forced her to delay her delivery.

"The crossing was not without incident but overall we are probably better prepared than we have ever been," she said.

"Unfortunately, one of our dagger boards got a little too friendly with a fishing pot and with nine tonnes of boat travelling at 12 knots, we had some damage to the board that needs to be repaired. Other than that I'm really happy with the boat, she's faster than she has ever been."

Golding, racing his Open 60 sponsored by Ecover, was also forced to delay his delivery due to the weather and with other commitments, was unable to leave Southampton until Wednesday lunchtime. The deadline for boats to arrive in St Malo was last night.

One of Goldings crew in the EDS Challenge last summer, Conrad Humphreys, will race alongside in an Open 40 - a smaller version of the Open 60, named SYLLOGIC, which has been chartered by Conrad's company, O6T, until to January 2003. The boat was sailed by its amateur owner into fourth place overall in the 2002 two-handed, Round Britain & Ireland race.

"My band of volunteer shore crew, sponsors and supporters have been working flat out to get our boat ready and off to France, ready to do battle against one of the strongest fleets ever to assemble for the Route du Rhum," he said

"We have optimised and tweaked Syllogic for over six weeks since completing my qualifier back in early September, leaving nothing to chance and no stone unturned in pursuit of speed and reliability. The improvements are noticeable."

MacArthur's teammate at Offshore Challenges, Nic Moloney, is looking to develop his single-handed career in the Class 2 Open 50, called Offshore Challenges 1, with a view to competing in the Vendee Globe in 2005. "I'm comfortable with the boat and now I can really work on my own personal contribution, focusing on the course, tactics and the weather for the race," he said.

The monohull class, which also features Hamble's Miranda Merron in Un Univers de Services, leaves St Malo on Saturday, November 9 for the 3,540 mile single-handed transatlantic race to Guadeloupe in the French West Indies.