British maritime history has had more than its fair share of heroes, from Sir Francis Drake, a pirate and seaman of genius who together with Sir John Hawkins plundered his way around the world and found favour with Queen Elizabeth, to Sir Francis Chichester, who proved that it was possible to sail a yacht to Australia and back, circumnavigating the world in the process.
Alongside them are the admirals, such as Lord Nelson, who have won major battles at sea and the Olympians such as Rodney Pattisson, Shirley Robertson and Ben Ainslie, who have all won gold medals. Dame Ellen MacArthur's achievement is right up there with the very best.
Few of the current group of knowledgeable yachtsmen gave her much chance of breaking the record for the solo dash around the planet, because Francis Joyon had only recently established a blisteringly fast time in a boat which was 90 feet long and had bigger and more powerful sails. It was simply too hard.
MacArthur, of course, took little heed of the doomsayers, spending her time in the preparation of a boat, custom-built to be the biggest and fastest that she could possibly handle. That was her strength.
Times change, and it is only 80 years since a founder of the Royal Cruising Club, Claud Worth, opposed the organisation of a 605-mile race from Cowes to the Fastnet Rock and back to Plymouth. Writing in Country Life, Worth expressed a doubt - "Are our latitudes suitable for a public ocean race?" MacArthur has traversed much more unsuitable latitudes in her voyage. Those of 60 degrees south, below Cape Horn, contain the most unfriendly seas in the world.
Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first yachtsman to sail non-stop solo around the world in 1969, had none of the modern advantages available to MacArthur, but yesterday he did not suggest that she should not use what was available, or that these technical aids in any way reduced her achievement.
"To know exactly where you are on the ocean at any time," he said, "is something all mariners desire." He might well have added that this was as true for Drake's generation as it is today. Radar and global positioning satellite technology have made MacArthur's fantastic voyage that much safer, but no less difficult.
There have been more men and women travelling in space than have sailed single-handedly round the world. To be one of those few is an honour indeed, but to have been around the planet faster than anyone else puts Dame Ellen MacArthur on a pedestal for concerted admiration.