As the wind picks up along the Brazilian coastline, Dee Caffari and Nigel King are flying towards the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre race. It is expected that Dee will cross the finish line and successfully complete her first transatlantic crossing onboard Aviva tomorrow morning.
As the wind picks up along the Brazilian coastline, Dee Caffari and Nigel King are flying towards the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre race.It is expected that Dee will cross the finish line and successfully complete her first transatlantic crossing onboard Aviva tomorrow morning.
Dee commented from onboard Aviva: "We kept a fast pace up all day mainly thanks to the slightly lifted south-easterly breeze that filled into 15 - 20 knots today. Aviva was able to crack her sheets and be off. The ride was a wet one with spray reaching the helm and the leeward side under water with spray as the rigging hit the water at speed consistently above 14 knots."
Aviva Ocean Racing campaign director, Andrew Roberts, is delighted with Aviva's progress: "Dee and Nigel have had a fantastic 24 hour run of 339.9 miles which has only been bettered by three of the newest and hottest boats in the fleet. It really goes to show how far Dee has come in this competitive race."
The strong winds that have filled Aviva's sails has meant Dee and Nigel have been able to close the gap on their race-rivals Cervin EnR, now only 34 miles ahead. Both Dee and Nigel are overjoyed to be finishing on fast run-in to Salvador de Bahia and with one day to go will be chasing their competition to the very end.
Dee said: "It was great being polled as the fastest boat on the water and little by little we have reduced the miles that lay between Cervin EnR, the next boat in front and us. Only time will tell if we can reach them before we run out of juice in the tank or time on the clock."
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: 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
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.
- 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