It was not only Ellen MacArthur who was sailing around the world.

Southampton yachtsman Mike Golding was also competing in the Vendee Globe but a disastrous start the previous November when his boat Team Group 4 was dismasted after a few hours at sea put paid to his chances of a top three position.

To his credit, he replaced his mast and carried on, and while he came in some time after Ellen, he achieved the fourth fastest time having sailed a superb race.

It was not enough, however, to earn him an MBE, which was promptly awarded to Ellen when the next round of honours were announced in June.

In another ocean, a fleet of six giant catamarans were racing at full pelt around the world in The Race, an event conceived especially to mark the Millennium.

Two Hamble yachtsmen Ed Danby and Neal McDonald were instrumental in helping Kiwi skipper Grant Dalton sprint to victory in a remarkable 62 days. Tony Bullimore finished last in 104 days on the oldest boat in the race Team Legato.

And the 12 steel yachts of the BT Global Challenge were heading into Wellington at the end of the third leg with Conrad Humphries' LG Flatron making an impression that would last to the Southampton finish line.