The constantly changing conditions in the Calais Round Britain Race, have forced the competitors to make some tough tactical decisions in the night.
The constantly changing conditions in the Calais Round Britain Race, have forced the competitors to make some tough tactical decisions in the night. The fleet has split left and right as they sail past the north of Scotland on their way up to the Shetland Islands. Dee Caffari has taken Aviva to right hand side of the race course and she will have to wait until the end of the day to see if the decision will pay off.
Caffari's diary - Received Friday morning:
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"A difficult night for Aviva as the wind was up and down all night. The sea state was bumpy and each wave stopped us dead in the water, as we tried to sail with the other boats around us in the upwind conditions. The weather models are currently struggling to agree on what lies ahead of us at the top of the country and this is making planning a strategy very difficult.
"Despite the cold, the team are doing great and fully focused on staying in touch with the fleet to be able to capitalise on our position when the sailing angle changes.
"With Akena out to leeward of us by some way and Roxy still sailing along side but to weather of us, we are unable to relax and have a measure on how we are doing with boat speed all the time. This will test our resolve."
"The cold morning has delivered very shifty winds that require constant tacking and trimming of the boat, which is all good for keeping warm but we will have to wait and see if the short term loss delivers a long term gain."
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/