The first three days of the Vendée Globe dumped the full range of emotional and physical challenges on the skippers admitted Dee Caffari but now it is time to eat and sleep.
The first three days of the Vendée Globe dumped the full range of emotional and physical challenges on the skippers admitted Dee Caffari but now it is time to eat and sleep.
"I'm very relieved to have got through the first 48 hours. It was terrible," reported Dee onboard Aviva, lying in 12th place less than nine miles behind her sistership Ecover 3.
"There was a lot of shipping around and the seas were horrendous. All that crashing into the waves wouldn't have done Aviva any good at all but she was really good and I haven't found any damage as yet."
Caffari revealed it had been a good 48 hours after the start in Les Sables d'Olonne before she was able to get any sleep due to the storms and shipping congestion in the Bay of Biscay.
"I tried snoozing that first night but there was so much shipping around I had to really concentrate and it wasn't until I rang the shore crew to tell them I was through the front that I was able to have a proper sleep. I just couldn't concentrate any more.
"Since then I have been concentrating on eating and sleeping and I feel quite a lot better now but need to get on top of everything down below - there are quite a few jobs to do down there."
Memories of her triumphant start on Sunday are still fresh in Caffari's mind though she admitted there was an element of luck to her success, due to problems with the race office communications.
"I couldn't hear any of the starting sequence at all so had no idea when the countdown started or anything. I kept looking at PRB and when he slowed down, I slowed down and when he looked like he was going for the line, I went for the line as well.
"There was nothing on my VHF so I was looking at my watch and just decided to go. But it worked really well. We all had to do it blind.
"The first few hours were so cool. Everyone was in a pack heading out to sea - you could even see everyone put their nav lights on in the first night - and it was so cool to be part of it. But by the Monday, it was a different story and I was on my own.
"It was amazing going down that canal in Les Sables d'Olonne. I thought that being first out no one would have arrived but how wrong we were. They cheered us all the way through and they cheered every one of the 30 boats. You almost felt like you didn't have to do the race. That was enough.
"It made me quite emotional. I had been absolutely fine up to that point but seeing so many people turning out to wave you off was very special. I went straight to bed after that and had a sleep and got up an hour before the start."
Aviva Ocean Racing summary
Record-breaking British yachtswoman Dee Caffari sailed into the record books in May 2006 by becoming the first woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. Caffari is attempt her next "world first" by competing in the Vendée Globe yacht race. Caffari is attempting to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stop both ways around the world.
Further information on Dee Caffari and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at www.avivaoceanracing.com.
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Website: www.avivaoceanracing.com
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