After nearly 72 hours of racing the wind has strengthened and the fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre have finally got into their stride as the boats start to head out into the open water of the Atlantic.
After nearly 72 hours of racing the wind has strengthened and the fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre have finally got into their stride as the boats start to head out into the open water of the Atlantic. The opening stages of the race have been dogged by fickle winds and all the crews have worked tirelessly to keep their boats moving to ensure they don't lose any ground on their rivals. Dee and Nigel have used all the tricks of the trade to keep the 10 year-old Aviva in touch with the pack, and currently lie in 11th place.
The relief following the arrival of the wind was clear as Dee Caffari said: "Today is the third day of the race, and finally, there is some wind, thank you very much!
"So my quote of the day is ‘il va y avoir du sport' that means there will be action! So finally in this race, there will be some action. On my left, there is Artemis and BBK, bring it on!"
The strengthening wind has started to demonstrate the raw power of the new generation Open 60s as the overall leader Safran, that features some radical new designs, sets the early pace and starts to separate the fleet into two distinct packs. The Aviva Ocean Racing team are also pleased to see Mike Golding's Ecover, the sister ship to Dee Caffari's new Aviva, keeping pace with the front of the fleet in its first competitive outing and it bodes well for the performance of the new Merf Owen designed boats.
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 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:l 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
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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