In what was a tough night for the Aviva co-skippers, the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet now stretches from south of the Canary Islands to north of Madeira. A lack of wind around Madeira saw Dee and Nigel disappointed with their slow progress.
In what was a tough night for the Aviva co-skippers, the Transat Jacques Vabre fleet now stretches from south of the Canary Islands to north of Madeira. A lack of wind around Madeira saw Dee and Nigel disappointed with their slow progress.
Dee said, from onboard Aviva at 12.44am UTC: "Morale onboard has hit a low tonight. Even before the morning polling we know we have lost valuable miles to the fleet. Aviva was sailing like a magnet towards the Islands of Madeira. We are bitterly disappointed and had to laugh otherwise we would have cried! Madeira's definitely not a holiday destination for either of us now.
"The day was spent blast reaching but as we closed the landmass we felt the wind change direction and head us. We found ourselves having to tack to avoid sailing up the beach. This is the first tack of the race, it had been so long we'd almost forgotten how to.
"Of course time spent heading east and at times north of east was giving easy miles away and our simple mistake had been capitalized on by Akena Verendas and Maisonneuve who have been hot on our heels since the beginning of the race. What we do now know is that we must work hard on boat speed and minimize mistakes so we can close the gap again."
Dee and Nigel are currently in 13th place, with rivals Akena Verendas in their sights, just 30 miles ahead. Despite the disappointment of the night's sailing Dee is adding to her experience of competitive Open 60 yacht racing, as she prepares to become the first woman to sail both ways round the world by competing in the Vendée Globe 2008/9.
To follow Caffari and King's progress in the Transat Jacques Vabre race and to view Dee's video diary entries log on to www.avivaoceanracing.com.
To receive Dee's diary, via the RSS feed visit http://www.avivaoceanracing.com/rss.
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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: 07786 516570
E-mail: kellyr@karen-earl.co.uk
Notes to editors:
All skippers taking part in the 2007 race signed the Transat Jacques Vabre Charter for Sustainable Development. The five main aims of the Charter are:
- Promote the values of sailing
- Reduce the ecological footprint of the Transat Jacques Vabre event
- Encourage everyone involved to commit towards creating a responsible event
- Encourage the public to engage with the challenges of sustainable development
- Develop the local dynamics and North-South relations
Aviva plc
Aviva is the leading provider of life and pensions to 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 2006.
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.
The Aviva media centre at www.aviva.com/media includes images, company and product information and a news release archive.
- Further information on Dee Caffari and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at www.avivaoceanracing.com
- Further information on Nigel King can be found at www.nigelkingyachting.com