Dee Caffari has successfully completed her first major step towards competing in sailing's elite solo race, the Vendée Globe in 2008/9.
Dee Caffari has successfully completed her first major step towards competing in sailing's elite solo race, the Vendée Globe in 2008/9. Her entry into the Calais Round Britain race on-board Aviva marked her first venture on the Open 60 circuit and a chance to grow in confidence by learning from her other four crew members.
Caffari finished the Calais Round Britain race in 11 days, 1 hour, 0 minutes and 25 seconds. The race was an important learning opportunity for Caffari, allowing her to experience the high-pressure environment of racing the lightweight, powerful boats in this highly competitive class.
The race was played out in ever-changeable conditions, forcing the competitors to focus significantly on tactics and weather routing. Caffari's Open 60 Aviva is one of the older generation boats in the fleet and needed to outwit the opposition rather than rely on pure boat speed. The first stages of the race played into her hands as she manoeuvred Aviva into fifth place and tested the faster boats all around her.
Parking up in light winds near Ireland after two days saw the fleet re-group with Caffari finding her work cut out. In the approach to Scotland, Caffari took the decision to sail inshore away from the other boats in the hope that the decision would give her an advantage. This time the weather gods did not favour her and Aviva was stuck in light winds as the fleet raced away. Dealing with this disappointment after such a good start was one of the most important lessons in the race. Despite losing over 180 miles to the next boat Caffari continued to dig in and slowly claw Aviva back into the race and they found favourable winds in the North Sea.
Looking at the long-term benefits, this set back demonstrated that risks can be worth taking and, whilst losses can seem catastrophic at the time, the potential speed of the Open 60 boats allow skippers to recover from bad days and should never give up hope. It will be Caffari's ability to bounce back from disappointments that will prove to be a vital part of her armoury to succeed in the longer races in the future.
Dee Caffari said of her performance: "This race has been a complete roller coaster for me, both in terms of Aviva's race position and my learning. I have learnt how to deal with different situations and where I can improve and grow stronger psychologically. I have used the experienced crew on-board to absorb as much knowledge as possible and from that perspective the race was a great success for me. I have gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in sailing this type of boat and have now experienced the intensity of racing at this level. I am pleased with the progress I made in terms of my confidence and getting the most out of an Open 60."
Harry Spedding, campaign manager, said: "Dee has been well aware that one of the shortfalls from her previous sailing experience has been racing lightweight powerful boats, and knowing when to push hard and when it is prudent to back off the pedal. In this race pushing hard was a constant thing, the course is too short and the weather has been too light to warrant any backing off at all. Learning when to back off will come later. The major gain that Dee has made from the Calais Round Britain race is the leap in her personal confidence."
Nigel King, Open 60 trainer, said: "The thing that has been evident throughout the race is the way that Dee has grown in confidence on an Open 60 and also as the role of skipper. I think it is important that we continue to develop Dee's knowledge in strategic and tactical decision-making and to develop a greater understanding of the full potential of the light weight and powerful Open 60 class. Given the nature of the challenges on the mind and body of single-handed racing, it is also important to prioritise what will really make a different to performance."
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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: +44 (0)7786 516570
E-mail: kellyr@karen-earl.co.uk
Notes to editors:
Aviva Ocean Racing summary
After setting a world record last year sailing around the world against the prevailing winds and currents, Caffari is one of the newest recruits to the highly competitive world of Open 60 racing. The Calais Round Britain race is her racing debut and a key part of her learning towards achieving her ambition of competing in the Vendée Globe 2008/9 and becoming the first woman to sail around the world, solo, in both directions.
Calais Round Britain race
Starting and finishing in Calais, the race was 1850 nautical miles around the British coastline, featuring some of the world's most technical waters with ever-changing weather conditions, tidal flows and adverse land effects. Extra vigilance was needed to keep a watchful eye out for shipping and other obstructions, such as oil rigs in the North Sea, throughout this race.
There are 11 entries and the front runners were expected to take between six to seven days to complete the course. The race was played out in very changeable light winds and the eventual winner Vincent Riou onboard PRB crossed the line after 9 days 07 hours 7 minutes 36 seconds.
In a change from normal Open 60 racing the boats were crewed by five people rather than solo or double-handed.
For the race Caffari's full crew was:
Dee Caffari - skipper of Aviva (British)
Nigel King - experienced yacht racing coach (British)
Liz Wardley - Skipper on Figaro circuit (Papua New Guinea)
Simon Clarke -Former boat captain of Hugo Boss (British)
Laurent Mahy - sail designer for North Sails (Belgian)
Aviva
Caffari's sponsor Aviva plc is the leading writer of life and pensions business in 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 2005.
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.
Further information on Dee Caffari and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at http://www.avivaoceanracing.com/