The Aviva co-skippers have enjoyed another day of sailing under spinnaker in breezy conditions and have made steady progress over the last 24 hours of racing. As the fleet front runners hit the notorious doldrums, Dee Caffari and Nigel King are beginning their preparations for the calm conditions ahead.
The Aviva co-skippers have enjoyed another day of sailing under spinnaker in breezy conditions and have made steady progress over the last 24 hours of racing. As the fleet front runners hit the notorious doldrums, Dee Caffari and Nigel King are beginning their preparations for the calm conditions ahead.
Deereported from onboard Aviva, "We've made some good progress today and are now able to concentrate on our approach to the doldrums. With less than 2,000 miles to go to the finish, we need every mile and knot of boat speed to count."
Dee and Nigel have been rotating the helm in an hourly shift system - one hour on and one hour off. With the need to constantly push the boat, the pair are having to hand steer and do not currently have the luxury of letting the auto-pilot take control. This intensity of racing is not only exhausting, with the skippers battling sleep-deprivation, it also plays havoc with their eating habits.
Diet now plays a big role in professional sport and competitive yacht racing is no exception. Despite guidance from nutritionist, Louise Sutton from Leeds Metropolitan University, Dee has found it difficult to keep her eating habits nutritionally balanced. At times, both she and Nigel are snacking on-the-go rather than preparing one of their boil in the bag and freeze-dried meals onboard.
Dee said: "You get hungry out here but by the time you've managed to get below deck the feeling has past. You just end up eating when you can - it's a case of little and often. Nigel has chomped his way through his healthy seed supplies and is now rapidly munching his way through our flapjack stash!"
Aviva is currently in 13th position and has closed the gap to the race leaders, now 480 mile ahead.
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 Europewith 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