Dee Caffari and co-skipper Nigel King are today extremely frustrated having lost Aviva’s hard fought position in the Transat Jacques Vabre race. Having initially clawed back valuable miles to close the gap on Akena Verendas the erratic weather conditions of the doldrums have tested the pair. Yesterday afternoon, the pair’s frustrations were realised when their closest rival, Cervin EnR, overtook Aviva.
Dee Caffari and co-skipper Nigel King are today extremely frustrated having lost Aviva's hard fought position in the Transat Jacques Vabre race. Having initially clawed back valuable miles to close the gap on Akena Verendas the erratic weather conditions of the doldrums have tested the pair. Yesterday afternoon, the pair's frustrations were realised when their closest rival, Cervin EnR, overtook Aviva.
Caffari reported from onboard Aviva: "We really have been in the doldrums. Thunderous downpours soaked us while we changed sails in an attempt to keep up with the constantly changing weather. On the plus side we had a free hair wash, on the minus, the mileage we were desperately seeking never came again. Five sails were strewn across the foredeck and all of them had been flown during the previous hours. Neither of us had slept and patience was wearing thin. Had all our hard work been worth it? The next polling of the fleet revealed our worst fears - our hard work had indeed been in vain. Not only had Cervin snuck past us, but Akena had also added some miles to their lead of Aviva."
Dee and Nigel are now determined to fight back and reclaim the 13th position that has been their own for the last six days. It will be a tough battle but the co-skippers are resolute that they will be able to regain the 17 miles that currently separates the two boats.
Dee added: "The race is far from over and now we are all sailing in the same area in the same breeze at similar headings and speeds. Aviva now just needs to make sure she is the quicker boat over the remaining 1200 miles."
The fleet front-runners, currently being lead by Michel Desjoyeaux and Emmanuel Le Borgne onboard Foncia, are now only 345 miles from Salvador de Bahia and will be expected to finish over the next 32 hours.
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 http://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.
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- 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