Thousands of well-wishers lined the route from Greenwich to Tower Bridge to show their support for Ellen MacArthur as she made her way along the Thames on board her record-breaking trimaran B&Q yesterday.

After navigating up the Thames to Tower Bridge B&Q moored up at Greenwich and Ellen arrived onshore to the warmest of welcomes from the 7,500 strong crowd that had been waiting to see her.

Many people waited for over two hours in the wintry conditions for a chance to see Ellen live on stage in front of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. “It is just amazing,” said Ellen, “I am really blown away by the amount of people who have come out to welcome us to London. Today is really about having a chance to thank everyone for all of the support that we recieved thoughout the whole trip. They shared this with me and it is great to come here today and have a chance to say thank you to everyone.”

The event today at Greenwich was not only a chance for Ellen and the team to say a big thank you to all the avid suppoters, but also to raise awareness of the Ellen MacArthur Trust – a charity set up by Ellen to give young people suffering or recovering from cancer and leukaemia a chance to get out on the water and sail with her. Ellen was joined on stage at the end by 13-year-old Katie Schuster who has already participated in two sailing trips with Ellen. Katie was diagnosed with cancer when she was 10 and received treatment at the Great Ormond Street hospital.

The trimaran will now be heading back to Cowes on the Isle of Wight, for a homecoming next Friday 25 February.