BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Frenchman Francis Joyon sailed solo around the world in 57 days, 13 hours, 34 minutes, 6 seconds to obliterate by more than 14 days the record established by Briton Ellen MacArthur in 2005.

    The 51-year-old sailor completed the circumnavigation off the French Atlantic coast soon after midnight on Sunday, according to his website. He was to arrive in Brest, France, later Sunday. For two months, Joyon skirted the southern reaches of the globe in his 29-meter, 9-ton trimaran IDEC, sleeping only in short spells and struggling with fierce wind and a damaged mast.

    "He has been in racing form the whole time," said Jean-Yves Bernot, Joyon's on-land navigator.

    MacArthur, then 28, beat Joyon's previous record in 2005 in 71 days, 14:18:33 on her boat Castorama. That was just one day faster than Joyon's previous time, also in the vibrant red IDEC.

    This time, Joyon started out in Brest on Nov. 23, then looped under South Africa and Australia and Chile before heading back for the French shore. He broke several intermediary records along the way. He crossed the Indian Ocean in 9 days, 12 hours, and crossed the Pacific in 10 days, 14 hours.

    In the Pacific, Joyon detoured as far south as 58 degrees, toward a patch of glaciers, to avoid dangerous wind farther north, Bernot said. Rough wind and then damage to a girder supporting the mast forced Joyon to slow down when he got to the Atlantic.

    He climbed the 105-foot mast to make repairs himself, but was worried until the end of the journey that it could snap again, according to his website.

    His boat had no standard electrical generators aboard, which meant he had no heat — but also meant the boat was lighter than usual. He used wind turbines and solar panels to allow for automatic piloting and communication equipment.

    (Agencies)