Solo yachtswoman begins voyage to take round the world "first".
Solo yachtswoman begins voyage to take round the world "first".
Round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari departs today on her bid to set the record to be the first woman to sail single-handed, non-stop around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. The 32 year old, who is being sponsored on her quest by Aviva, the international savings, investments and insurance group, sets sail from Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth and will spend the next 120-170 days at sea as she attempts her non-stop westabout circumnavigation.
Immediately prior to her departure at Gunwharf Quays, canon David Brindley, Bishop of Portsmouth, will bless Caffari's yacht Aviva before she leaves under a shower of confetti and to the sound of cannon fire. Her shore team is headed by Sir Chay Blyth and includes Andrew Roberts (project director), Mike Broughton (weather forecaster/router), and Harry Spedding (personal mentor), all of whom will be on the quayside today to wish her "bon voyage". She will spend the first two-three days sailing to the official start line off Ushant in North West France and negotiating her first test along the route, the busy shipping lanes of the English Channel. After Caffari passes the start line, she will then sail down through the Atlantic towards Cape Horn as "The Aviva Challenge" gets underway.
Speaking before her departure, Caffari said: "After all the sea trials and preparations, the moment is finally here and I can't wait to get going. I know that the next few months will throw some difficult challenges at me, but I'm fully prepared for the test and would like to thank everyone involved for helping to make this possible. It has been a dream of mine to complete a solo circumnavigation and I'm really excited by what lies ahead."
For the 26,000-mile "Aviva Challenge", former school-teacher Caffari will be sailing alone the 72-foot yacht which she skippered, with a crew of 18, in last year's Global Challenge race. The yacht has been modified to enable her to sail it single-handedly and it has been designed particularly to survive the treacherous conditions she will face during approximately 80 days in the Southern Ocean. Throughout her voyage, Caffari will face some of the toughest physical challenges in the sport, including punishing 40-foot waves, extremes of temperature and severe lack of sleep.
Sir Chay Blyth, who is heading Caffari's shore team and was the first man to complete this route 34 years ago, said: "Gunwharf Quays is where Dee started her last round the world voyage in the Global Challenge so it seems fitting that she starts here once again. It's unusual to have the opportunity to do a first and this will be a first time grand achievement. Next time we see her she'll be back as a world record holder, having accomplished a remarkable feat, putting her firmly into the record books".
Patrick Snowball, executive director of Aviva plc, also present to wish Caffari well, said: "'The Aviva Challenge' came about because we identified with Dee's desire to push the boundaries and become a leader in her own field. In many ways we see Dee representing the spirit of our forward thinking brand. I know that Dee has the support of all our 60,000 staff around the world as she attempts this magnificent venture. Aviva is proud to be part of the team behind Dee’s epic solo performance".
Dee will be posting daily logs and you can follow her progress at www.avivachallenge.com.
-ends-
Enquiries:
Karen Earl Sponsorship
Georgina Spring +44 (0)7747 033728
Alex Brown +44 (0)7803 037530
Aviva
Hayley Stimpson, director of external affairs +44 (0)20 7662 7544
Sue Winston, head of group media relations +44 (0)20 7662 8221
Notes to editors:
Aviva and The Aviva Challenge
- www.avivachallenge.com includes a voyage tracker, Dee’s daily logs, an image library, profiles of Dee and her shore team, the yacht Aviva and further information about The Aviva Challenge.
- Aviva is the world’s sixth-largest insurance group based on gross world-wide premiums and market capitalisation (at 31 December 2004); it is one of the leading providers of life and pensions in Europe and has substantial businesses in other markets around the world. Aviva’s main activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with world-wide total income of Ł40 billion and assets under management of Ł280 billion at 31 December 2004.
- ‘Forward thinking’ is Aviva’s first-ever pan-European advertising campaign. The print, on-line and television corporate campaign, targeting Europe’s opinion-former community, will run until April 2006. As part of the campaign, Aviva has also commissioned RSA Films to make five film shorts for CNBC TV, featuring people who have a particularly powerful vision of the future and celebrating the remarkable achievements of these individuals.
- The current world record for a non-stop single-handed circumnavigation of the globe against the prevailing winds and currents is 122 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes and 49 seconds and is held by Frenchman Jean Luc Van Den Heede.
Challenge Business
- Challenge Business is the organiser for ‘The Aviva Challenge’, co-ordinating the shore team and logistics behind Dee Caffari’s solo, non stop circumnavigation.
- Challenge Business is a market leader in creating, managing and promoting World Class events - providing the opportunity for ordinary people to do the extraordinary, for the professionals to reach for the extreme and visionary businesses to achieve amazing results.
- Challenge Business uses the participation and passion of adventure sport to create integrated marketing programmes for innovative businesses and has a sponsorship community of many hundreds of blue chip companies world-wide.