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It's January 29th, 2005.

A 75-foot sailboat slices through the undulating waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Crouched on the prowl, one hand gripping the bowline,

is a petite elephant woman with short dark hair and a face edged with steely determination.

28-year-old Ellen MacArthur is 63 days into her attempt to break the world record

for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe.

So far, everything's going to plan for the young British sailor.

She's currently on track to beat the previous world record by a day and a half.

But the grueling voyage is taking its toll on Ellen, both physically and mentally.

Her limbs ache, her skin is weather beaten and raw, and she's exhausted.

Over the past two months at sea, she hasn't managed more than 20 minutes of uninterrupted sleep.

As Ellen wearily scams the wide expansive ocean in front of her,

she spots something out of the corner of her eye.

A long, dark shape moving beneath the water, right alongside the keel of her boat.

As she looks closer, Ellen realizes with a stab a panic that it's an Atlantic gray whale,

a large adult, at least 50 feet long.

Ellen's heart pounds as the whales humped back briefly surfaces.

A powerful jet of water erupts from the creature's global.

Ellen watches, transfixed with fear and awe, as the whale's tail fin emerges from the ocean.

...