Frenchman Thomas Coville was given a hero's welcome on his return to the French port of Brest on Monday morning after slashing the record for a solo non-stop circumnavigation of the world.

Coville broke the record on Sunday, completing his journey in 49 days, three hours, seven minutes and 38 seconds on his trimaran Sodebo Ultim.

"I am very happy to have achieved this dream," said a tearful Coville, who had tried and failed on four previous occasions to beat the record.

He reached the finish line off France's Atlantic coast at 1557 GMT on Sunday and spent a final night on his boat "unwinding".

"The biggest dreams don't come true at the first time of asking," he added as he was greeted by thousands of fans on a sunny day in the Brittany city.

Coville, 48, shaved an incredible eight days off the previous record set by Francis Joyon, of 57 days and 13 hours.

Joyon had initially set the record for the single-handed round the world effort in 2004 before Britain's Ellen MacArthur beat his mark the following year. Joyon then reclaimed the mark in 2008.

Source: AFP