Aviva Ocean Racing: Dee Caffari re-starts the Transat Ecover B to B after a high-speed pit stop

Dee Caffari, the record-breaking British yachtswoman, re-started the Transat Ecover B to B at 16.59 UTC* today after a rapid pit stop to make repairs to her Open 60 racing yacht. Caffari was forced to turn Aviva back to port almost immediately after the original start at 14.00 UTC due to a malfunctioning gennaker furler.

Caffari took the prudent decision to return to Salvador de Bahia port believing she would lose less time having the furler repaired by the Aviva Ocean Racing shore team than enduring the problem throughout the 4,300-mile race. The shore team worked like an F1 pit team to turn the boat round and send Caffari back out on to the race track.

Dee Caffari reported from the dockside in Brazil: "It's incredibly disappointing to have a problem so early in a race but I'd prefer it to happen now than out in the middle of the ocean. It's so frustrating to have a set back at the start of the race but it's one I feel I can recover from. It was depressing to return to port but as soon as the wind fills the sails again my fighting spirit will return and I will be hunting down the fleet."

Harry Spedding, Aviva Ocean Racing, added: "It shows the strength of character to make the decision so quickly to have the repair made by her shore team. The pressure to continue and deal with the problem on her own would have been immense and I'm pleased to see she using her head rather than her heart."
*Unofficial time

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Further information on Dee Caffari and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at www.avivaoceanracing.com

To receive Dee's diary automatically, visit http://www.avivaoceanracing.com/rss to sign up for the RSS feed.

For further information contact:
Caroline Ayling, tel: +44 (0)20 7202 2840, mbl: +44 (0)7801 351950,
email: carolinea@karen-earl.co.uk
Kelly Russell, tel: +44 (0)20 7202 2862, mbl 07786 516570,
email: kellyr@karen-earl.co.uk

• 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.
• 2008/9 Vendée Globe qualification requires both the skipper and the boat entering the race to complete a solo qualification sail validated by the Vendée Globe race management of at least 1500 nautical miles, by 1 July 2008. The Transat Ecover B to B will qualify Dee and the current Aviva. However, she will be required to qualify the new Aviva that is currently under construction in Hakes Marine, New Zealand. She will be racing the new Aviva, sister ship to Mike Golding's new Ecover, in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe.