Dee Caffari has stepped back on to dry land after nearly six months at sea.
Dee Caffari has stepped back on to dry land after nearly six months at sea.
She arrived at Ocean Village, Southampton, to a hero's welcome on Sunday. Dee was greeted by her mother Barbara, who presented her with a special medal engraved with the word ‘winner' before a long-awaited embrace.
The Princess Royal then boarded Aviva for a guided tour of the yacht.
They were then joined by Lord Sharman, Aviva chairman, and Patrick Snowball, Aviva group executive director, before Dee disembarked to rapturous applause.
Dee told a news conference that one of the most gruelling stages was in the Southern Ocean, where she faced icebergs and storm after storm.
"It was very relentless, it was very wearing. It's wearing emotionally and physically - you're working very hard," she said.
"When you're constantly taking that kind of beating all the time, it's very hard then to mentally pick yourself up, bounce back and get ready for the next one.
"One thing that always gave me a massive lift was reading the messages of support everyone sent me.
"Every day they arrived from all over the world and it's great to think that my voyage has inspired other people to take on their own challenges," she said.
Sir Chay Blyth, Dee's mentor and the first person to complete the same voyage in 1971, said her feat was inspirational.
He said: "She has inspired the imagination of a worldwide audience and has joined only four other men who have achieved this feat to become the first woman to complete a solo and non-stop west-about circumnavigation.
"Others may follow but she will always remain the first."