After a gripping Calais Round Britain race that saw a mix of weather and fortunes PRB stormed to victory last night at 9.37pm.
After a gripping Calais Round Britain race that saw a mix of weather and fortunes PRB stormed to victory last night at 9.37pm. Joined on the podium by Delta Dore who crossed the line at 4.05am this morning and VM Matériaux shortly after at 6.47am. We would like to congratulate all the crews on a great performance over the last 10 days.
We are now poised for the return of Aviva and her crew as they continue to make up lost ground and speed their way to the finish.
The team have not given up on the Calais Round Britain race and have worked hard over the last 48 hours to rejoin the rest of the fleet. Following the tactical error that put the team over 180 miles behind the next boat, Aviva has now reduced the gap to only 26 miles. The three lead boats have already finished the race but the rest of the fleet are fighting for every remaining position.
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"A slow and painful night that was spooky and eerie. Aviva managed to continue to slip through the water and maintain her progress to the finish line.
"The fog rolled through in thick blankets and visibility was limited to just about a boat length at times. Everyone on watch concentrated on looking into the gloom in the hope of catching a glimpse of something that may lie in our path. This section of the North Sea is a mass of oil and gas platforms; there are busy shipping lanes and dangerous sand banks to contend with as well.
"It has been a far from relaxing night for the safety of Aviva and her crew, let alone for the underlying reason for being here and that is to race. The morning positions came through and we now have evidence that the race is far from over as in the last 24 hours we have continued to take miles from those ahead. We are now more confident than ever that if we can get into the same area as these guys then we are back in the game again. Today will be a testing day.
"The incentive to finish has never been higher before as I produced the last food bag this morning. We congratulate PRB on a stunning victory, Delta Dore's awesome recovery to take second after a slow start and to VM Materiaux on their third place after consistently sailing in the lead group. We watch with a keen interest how the tussles for the remaining places are resolved. We are most jealous of the fact that they will soon be showered and eating some good French cuisine. My mouth waters at the thought."
Dee, Chook, Frog, Pants and Hugo
-ends-
For further information contact:
Caroline Ayling
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7202 2840
Mobile: +44 (0)7801 351950
E-mail: carolinea@karen-earl.co.uk
Kelly Russell
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7202 2862
Mobile: +44 (0)7786 516570
E-mail: kellyr@karen-earl.co.uk
Notes to editors:
Aviva Ocean Racing summary
After setting a world record last year sailing around the world against the prevailing winds and currents, Caffari is one of the newest recruits to the highly competitive world of Open 60 racing. The Calais Round Britain Race is her first step on a very steep learning curve towards achieving her ambition of competing in the Vendée Globe 2008/9 and becoming the first woman to sail around the world, solo, in both directions.
Calais Round Britain race
Starting and finishing in Calais, the race is 1850 nautical miles around the British coastline, featuring some of the world's most technical waters with ever-changing weather conditions, tidal flows and adverse land effects. Extra vigilance is needed to keep a watchful eye out for shipping and other obstructions, such as oil rigs in the North Sea, throughout this race.
There are 11 entries and the front runners are expected to take between six to seven days to complete the course. In a change from normal Open 60 racing the boats will be crewed by five people rather than solo or double-handed.
For this race Caffari's full crew will be:
Dee Caffari - skipper of Aviva (British)
Nigel King - experienced yacht racing coach (British)
Liz Wardley - professional sailor on Figaro circuit (Papua New Guinea)
Simon Clarke -professional sailor and former boat captain of Hugo Boss (British)
Laurent Mahy - sail designer for North Sails and professional sailor (Belgian)
Aviva
Caffari's sponsor Aviva plc is the leading writer of life and pensions business in Europe with substantial positions in other markets around the world, making it the world's fifth largest insurance group based on gross worldwide premiums at 31 December 2005.
Aviva's principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of £41.5 billion and assets under management of £364 billion at 31 December 2006.
Further information on Dee Caffari and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at http://www.avivaoceanracing.com/