The predicted calm weather has arrived and Dee Caffari and Aviva are parked up alongside most of the other Open 60 boats in the Calais Round Britain Race.
The predicted calm weather has arrived and Dee Caffari and Aviva are parked up alongside most of the other Open 60 boats in the Calais Round Britain Race. The light winds off South West Ireland have brought most of the fleet back together and the race will effectively restart when the wind fills in again. The crew will be working hard to put themselves in the best position to gain from the forecasted wind when it finally arrives.
Caffari's Diary - Received at 10.00am Wednesday morning: "Floating off the west coast of Ireland, it was refreshing to see that Artemis had suffered the same fate as us and were also floating nearby. The sad news this morning was to see the rest of the fleet close in behind as they carried wind until they too joined us in the floating car park that the leaders had displayed to us. With everyone facing the same fickle winds and getting closer in proximity, I feel as if we are starting the race again.
"After another really cold night it is again wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun on your face as the day progresses. The smooth water occasionally interrupted by dark patches signifying wind, becomes our main obsession, along with how much Haribo we will have left if we continue at this speed.
"It is tiring in concentration when the wind is this light as the total focus must be on keeping the boat moving fast. In order to help reduce weight we have encouraged the pigeon that had settled in for the night, to depart and fly home. We then had to wash down the deck as it was covered in mess from the pigeon.
"The new patchy breeze is filling in and with each puff the direction is slightly different. We are now tacking to try and make the most of it and fear that the inside boats may have been luckier with the new breeze."
Team update from campaign director, Andrew Roberts: "An average of only 3 knots for the last eight hours is very frustrating for the Aviva crew to say the least! The latest position reports show Aviva, Artemis, Roxy and Cheminees Poujoulat, all within five miles of each other off Tralee Bay in South West Ireland, and all desperately looking for wind. Aviva, Roxy and Cheminees Poujoulat have altered course towards Tralee Bay and the entrance to the River Shannon in the hope of finding a sea breeze further inshore whilst Artemis appears to be continuing her course offshore. The leading group of three boats, approximately 40 miles away are also heading inshore but towards the Arran Islands and Galway Bay. The boats that find the wind earliest could gain a very big advantage as they race north towards Eagle Island and onwards to St Kilda.
"The race so far has been rewarding for the Aviva team because it has demonstrated that they are on the pace and have so far made all the right tactical decisions, but the next few hours before the wind fills in from the North East are crucial to staying in touch with the leaders. It's still a long way to go and anything could happen."
To receive Dee's diary automatically, visit www.avivaoceanracing.com to sign up for the RSS feed.
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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
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/
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)