British sailor Dee Caffari became the first woman to sail solo and non-stop both ways around the world today when she completed the Vendée Globe yacht race.
The 36-year-old from Titchfield in Hampshire immediately phoned her shore team to order a ham and mushroom pizza and Diet Coke to be delivered on board.
Speaking moments after the finish, the former PE teacher said: "This is just incredible. The support and recognition has been unbelievable. I'm quite exhausted, but I think I'll be buzzing for the next few days.
"My goal was to set the double world first and I have done it. It's quite a numb feeling now but here I am – the first woman to sail solo, non-stop both ways around the world. You can't buy a feeling like this.
"I can't wait to get back on dry land, I've got a pizza and Diet Coke on order already and then I can't wait for a hot shower or bubble bath. I don't think I'll stop talking for the next few days – it's just brilliant to see everyone."
She crossed the line off Les Sables d'Olonne, France, at 1.13pm to take sixth place in the race and complete a feat achieved by only four men – circumnavigating the globe with and against the prevailing currents and winds .
In the Vendée, Caffari travelled more than 27,000 miles in 99 days on the "easier" circumnavigation – with the wind and tides – on her 60ft boat, Aviva.
In 2005-06 she was the first woman to sail against them east to west, taking 178 days and clocking up more than 29,000 miles.
Caffari, who is originally from Watford, Hertfordshire, suffered a damaged mainsail and light winds in the closing stages of the Vendée, frustrating attempts to finish.
During the race she sailed through the iceberg-strewn Southern Ocean and rounded Cape Horn, while sleeping in snatches of 20 minutes and living on a diet of freeze-dried food.
She will now have to wait for the tide to turn before she can enter port at about 5pm GMT when thousands of French are expected to cheer her in.
This Vendée Globe has been particularly difficult, with at least 19 of the original 30 starters dropping out.
Two French sailors had to be rescued since the skippers set off from Les Sables in November last year. Yann Elies broke his hip bone in the Southern Ocean and Jean Le Cam was lucky to survive when his boat capsized off Cape Horn.
On Saturday, Cambridge engineering graduate Sam Davies, 34, from Hayling Island, Hampshire, became the first Briton to finish the race when she crossed the line in third in her boat, Roxy.
But last night French sailor Marc Guillemot took the third place from Davies after being given a time allowance by the race committee for helping in the rescue of Elies.
Seven British sailors set sail in the race and four have now either finished or are still on the water.
Another Briton, Brian Thompson, 46, from the Isle of Wight, crossed the line this morning in fifth place on his boat Bahrain Team Pindar.
He said: "It's brilliant, what a day, what a beautiful day – sun's out, great seas, it's amazing.
"Fifth is an excellent result overall, I'm quite happy about that. I wanted to be in the top five, but I hadn't expected the race to be such a race of attrition. But that's pretty good out of 30 boats."
The only Briton now afloat is Steve White, 36, from Dorchester, Dorset, who has about 1,700 miles to go.
The race was won by Frenchman Michel Desjoyeaux in a record 84 days.