The wind conditions are slowly improving for Dee Caffari onboard her Open 60 yacht Aviva. Caffari and her closest race rivals, Derek Hatfield and Rich Wilson, are hoping to enjoy some stronger winds over the coming 24-hours and make up the miles towards Port La Foret.
The wind conditions are slowly improving for Dee Caffari onboard her Open 60 yacht Aviva. Caffari and her closest race rivals, Derek Hatfield and Rich Wilson, are hoping to enjoy some stronger winds over the coming 24-hours and make up the miles towards Port La Foret.
Dee and the Aviva Ocean Racing team would like to congratulate Loïck Peyron onboard Gitana Eighty who crossed the finish line last night, some 14 days, 9 hours and 13 minutes after departing Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The pressure is now on Dee who is determined to close the miles on the finish line and complete her first solo Open 60 race. Caffari has been competing in her ten-year old training boat Aviva and was overjoyed to hear that her new generation Open 60 has been completed in Hakes Marine, New Zealand one day early than scheduled.
Dee Caffari's latest diary entry received on 13 December:
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"Finally after 36 hours of only seeing 1 or 2 knots of wind I can now see 3 knots of wind and occasionally this has been more. I have now suffered my fourth day of going slow or even not at all and it does not get any better. Aviva and I are crawling along at a snail's pace just trying with every puff to get north. We know the breeze is up there as we have watched the others sail for home. Congratulations to those just finished for a great race. Now that the front runners have finished the race the pressure is on for us at the back of the fleet because the finish line only stays open for nine days from the first finishing boat crossing the line. I would like to think that 1,400 miles is more than possible in a Open 60 in nine days but we have just demonstrated how easy it is to lose miles if stuck in light winds or what is more likely we end up having to sail a greater distance by sailing upwind to the finish. The pressure is on.
"One reason I have for Aviva to be struggling perhaps a little jealousy at the new desk top picture that adorns my computer onboard. It is the sight of Aviva 222 departing the shed in Wellington a day early. She looks awesome and magnificent as she is trucked round to the water where tomorrow she will be fitted with her keel and get her bottom wet for the first time. I know Joff will be busy now with tests and trials and I wish them well and congratulate him and the team at Hakes Marine for delivering on time if not a day early.
"So that is an added incentive for me to get out of here so I can get to my new Aviva and learn all about a new machine."
Dee
Aviva Ocean Racing summary
After setting a world record last year sailing around the world against the prevailing winds and current, Dee Caffari's next ambition is to compete in the 2008/9 Vendée Globe and become the first woman to sail around the world, solo, in both directions.
Transat Ecover B to B
The 4,300-mile single-handed Transat Ecover B to B from Salvador de Bahia in Brazil to Port-La-Forêt, France is most important milestone of the Aviva Ocean Racing campaign to date. The race will be the first time that Caffari has raced solo and is the first time she'll be alone at sea since completing her record making round the world voyage. Despite being one of the least experienced Open 60 Skippers in the fleet, Caffari is determined to prove she can compete alongside some of the best sailors in the world.
Further information on Dee Caffari and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at www.avivaoceanracing.com.
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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:
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.
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.