Slow going for the Aviva Challenge as Caffari wrestles with faulty autopilot in worsening conditions
28 December, 2005
The last 24 hours have seen Dee Caffari working hard to solve the autopilot problems that continue to threaten the Aviva Challenge, her single-handed attempt to sail non-stop round the world against the prevailing winds.
Caffari has slowed Aviva’s progress as she makes her way towards the Falklands and Cape Horn to allow more time to isolate the autopilot system faults. This testing is likely to continue for a further two or more days. However, as weather conditions look set to worsen, the pressure is now on to solve the faults as soon as possible.
Caffari has to contend with problems on both her main autopilot, which began losing hydraulic fluid on Christmas Day and her back-up system, which has experienced glitches for several weeks now. She and her shore team agree that the voyage cannot safely continue around Cape Horn unless the causes can be traced and fixed.
Taking on this task in good conditions would be a challenge, but Caffari also has to contend with the prevailing weather. Aviva Challenge weather router, Mike Broughton, comments: “Normally when yacht racing across the ocean, the plan is to avoid the centres of high-pressure. With the light winds, boats can get becalmed for long periods. Troubled by the autopilot problems, she is sailing slowly on purpose, keeping closer to the ‘high’. This means she keeps the boat on a ‘level keel’ for longer, making the work on the auto pilot boxes at the stern of Aviva much easier.
“A low pressure is now moving east towards Dee’s position from the Argentinean coast. This will bring stronger winds, but they will be from a favourable direction and continue to allow the boat to be sailed upright relatively speaking. On the down side there is a lot of rain associated with this ‘low’ and we must hope that Dee can make progress before the worst of the rains arrive. Working on hydraulic pipes and electrical switching circuits in the middle of a full frontal downpour, is far from ideal.”
Aviva Challenge project director Andrew Roberts, said: “Yesterday, we believed that we had a 50/50 chance of finding a solution, we are feeling more confident today as Dee starts to make her way through the various tests. However, we will know more tomorrow when we have completed more of the tests.”
Further details will be released as soon as the information is available.
-ends-
Technical notes:
- Aviva has two completely separate and interchangeable autopilot systems so that there is 100 per cent redundancy of all components.
- Each element of these systems has its own switchover: from the two units processing information from the gyro compass, wind direction and boatspeed indicators, and rudder angle reference units to two electro-hydraulic pumps; and from these pumps to the two rams that move the top of the rudder.
- The faults traced so far relate to two defective electrical switches in the switchover system between the two autopilots. These faults have been intermittent.
- This problem was thought to have been solved by wiring out some of these switches. The fault must now be further traced back to the switchover between the two pump sets.
- The loss of hydraulic fluid may be related to these electrical problems, but is yet to be established.
Enquiries:
Karen Earl Sponsorship
Georgina Spring +44 (0)1672 811588 (until 4 January 2006)
+44 (0)7747 033728
Notes to editors:
Aviva and The Aviva Challenge
- www.avivachallenge.com includes a voyage tracker, Dee’s daily logs, an image library, profiles of Dee and her shore team, the yacht Aviva and further information about The Aviva Challenge
- Aviva is the world’s sixth-largest insurance group based on gross world-wide premiums and market capitalisation (at 31 December 2004); it is one of the leading providers of life and pensions in Europe and has substantial businesses in other markets around the world. Aviva’s main activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with world-wide total income of £40 billion and assets under management of £280 billion at 31 December 2004
- "Forward thinking" is Aviva’s first-ever pan-European advertising campaign. The print, on-line and television corporate campaign, targeting Europe’s opinion-former community, will run until April 2006. As part of the campaign, Aviva has also commissioned RSA Films to make five film shorts for CNBC TV, featuring people who have a particularly powerful vision of the future and celebrating the remarkable achievements of these individuals
- The current world record for a non-stop single-handed circumnavigation of the globe against the prevailing winds and currents is 122 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes and 49 seconds and is held by Frenchman Jean Luc Van Den Heede.
Challenge Business
- Challenge Business is the organiser for "The Aviva Challenge", co-ordinating the shore team and logistics behind Dee Caffari’s solo, non stop circumnavigation
- Challenge Business is a market leader in creating, managing and promoting World Class events - providing the opportunity for ordinary people to do the extraordinary, for the professionals to reach for the extreme and visionary businesses to achieve amazing results
- Challenge Business uses the participation and passion of adventure sport to create integrated marketing programmes for innovative businesses and has a sponsorship community of many hundreds of blue chip companies worldwide.
