Breast cancer sufferer Michele Colenso won't win the Sydney to Hobart but the plucky Briton will use the race to raise awareness of her illness.

The 44-year-old Englishwoman is on a world circumnavigation aboard her boat Capriccio of Rhu, which cannot win the Sydney to Hobart, as it is entered in the cruising division.

Colenso sailed in from New Zealand at the end of May and was diagnosed with breast cancer in July.

She underwent surgery in August and started chemotherapy in September.

"After I'd been diagnosed, I didn't think I stood any chance of doing the Sydney to Hobart because of the surgery," said Colenso, who started sailing regularly four years ago.

"I didn't think it would be possible going through the chemo to do this, but then I realised it was one of those things that you think this is meant to happen.

"The date of my last chemo was after the race start, it was quite close.

"I thought I'll be at my very, very best the day the Hobart starts before the next treatment, so if I can delay the treatment a few days, while we get to Hobart, we can do this.

"It was just well, I think we should have a go and then I decided if I'm going to do it, lets get something positive out of this and lets get the awareness going and hopefully raise some funds in Australia for research."

She said she was probably more scared of her final bout of chemotherapy than the race.

"In a way I guess this race for me is more survival. If I make it to Hobart and I'm still smiling, then as one of life's challenges that will have been a good one to have got through," Colenso said.

"But I have got a lot of other issues through the breast cancer that are different, because they are longer term."

Colenso has drawn attention to the illness by wearing a T-shirt showing a couple of hands placed on breasts bearing the slogan 'want to keep `em, feel `em,' and will fly some pink sails with the same motif during the race.

She is part of a multi-national fleet of 78, which includes entries from New Zealand, the Netherlands, Italy, the UK and Canada.

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