Inspirational solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari is preparing for Christmas with a twist this year as she sails solo onboard her racing yacht Aviva in the Vendée Globe round the world yacht race.
- Solo sailor Dee Caffari spends Christmas over 9,000 miles from the UK, half way across the world
- Caffari is currently aiming for a double world first to become the only woman in history to sail solo and non-stop both ways around the world
- This will be her third Christmas at sea in five years
Inspirational solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari is preparing for Christmas with a twist this year as she sails solo onboard her racing yacht Aviva in the Vendée Globe round the world yacht race. Instead of sitting down to roast turkey with all the trimmings on Christmas Day, Caffari will boil the kettle on her single ring burner and prepare a freeze-dried Christmas dinner.
Supported by Aviva, the world's fifth largest insurance group, since her solo sailing career began Caffari is no stranger to spending Christmas away from home having celebrated the 2004 and 2005 festive seasons at sea. In 2005 she sailed solo, non-stop around the world the "wrong" way (against the prevailing winds and currents) on the Aviva Challenge and set her first world record. Now just three years later she is heading the "right" way in an attempt to achieve a double world first.
Her Open 60 yacht Aviva is designed for speed so there are no creature comforts onboard. However, before she departed from Les Sables d'Olonne, France on 9 November her shore crew hid some secret surprises including a present from her boyfriend and a boil in the bag sticky toffee pudding to get her into the festive spirit.
Caffari reported: "I found a surprise freeze-dried Christmas dinner that someone obviously went to some effort to find for me. God knows what that will taste like!
"There are also a lot of random presents to open which I'm sure will be very entertaining. In the last five years, I have spent three Christmas Days at sea so it's starting to become normal! That said it's really just another day at the office for me, we're still racing and the faster I go the sooner I'll be back home."
Caffari always knew that loneliness would be an issue during the marathon three month race but having spent 178 days at sea alone three years ago she was confident she could cope with this psychological challenge. Despite some Christmas themed food and a few presents, it will be another intense day racing for the solo skipper as she aims to make up miles on the race leaders.
Harry Spedding, the Aviva Ocean Racing campaign manager said: "We had an office Christmas party last week and spoke to Dee over the satellite phone. She looked really well and it was good to do it before Christmas itself as it's quite an emotional time for her. That said we have hidden some surprise presents onboard, including some soothing hand cream, a few packets of hand-warmers and a book called The Lady and the Chocolate. We had to be quite strict about how many presents we hid onboard as Dee wanted to make sure Aviva was as light as possible."
Caffari is currently 11th in the Vendée Globe fleet that started with thirty entrants but has already seen 12 retirements in the first half of the race.
Dee Caffari is available for interview between Christmas and New Year. Please contact Caroline Ayling on +44 (0) 7801 351950.
To follow Dee Caffari's progress in the race log on to www.avivaoceanracing.com.
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For further information and interview requests contact:
Caroline Ayling
Mobile: +44 (0) 7801 351950
E-mail: caroline.ayling@synergy-sponsorship.com
Website: www.avivaoceanracing.com
Notes to editors:
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 2007.
Aviva's principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales of £49.2 billion and funds under management of £359 billion at 30 June 2008.
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