After making her third rounding of Cape Horn, her first east to west, Dee Caffari was happily plotting her journey up the Atlantic confident that her "string vest" of a mainsail would carry her to the finish line.
After making her third rounding of Cape Horn, her first east to west, Dee Caffari was happily plotting her journey up the Atlantic confident that her "string vest" of a mainsail would carry her to the finish line.
"It is nice to be pointing north and in the Atlantic. I feel as if I'm on the home stretch," she said this morning, 24 hours after rounding Cape Horn in storms so bad, she - along with Brian Thompson and Arnaud Boissières - was advised to take shelter until it had passed through.
She eventually celebrated... not with champagne or chocolate but by turning on her heater for an hour.
"It was wonderful. It was so cold because we had a south westerly which was blowing straight off Antarctica. It was unbelievably cold so it was nice to gybe and go north."
"The sea temperature has already gone up one degree so I am hoping I will be in my bikini by my birthday next week (January 23)."
However heinous the Southern Ocean has been, sailors always speak fondly of it when they leave and Dee is no exception.
"Even though it was a pretty nasty final few days, the Southern Ocean is a special place so you feel quite sad when you leave it but I reckon I will be back at some point.
"The only time I have been really scared in this race was our first storm in the Indian Ocean and it was my first experience of the boat hurtling down waves in 50 knots. The storm before Cape Horn was pretty nasty - 60 knots for 12 hours which was horrible but I wasn't scared by it because I knew the boat could handle it. Then, in the last one I had gusts of 55 but by then it all felt quite normal."
Currently lying in eighth place with around 6,700 nautical miles still to go, Dee, who has barely slept over the past few days, is now getting some rest while she waits to address the next problem: fixing her ragged mainsail.
"The problem now is that I need the breeze because I have not got any mainsail I can put up until I can fix it. I need the breeze to completely stop or be as strong as it can be. It is starting to decrease but I have four reefs in so could really do with 35 knots. It is a shame because I can't race until it is fixed so will lose miles to the boys and they will get away.
"Now I am on a straight run and there is nothing I can do until I fix the main so I am concentrating on eating and sleeping and resting so I am fit and ready to fix the main and push hard to close the miles I'm going to lose.
"There is no way the boat is not going to finish. The only question is how quickly I am going to get there."
Aviva Ocean Racing summary
Record-breaking British yachtswoman Dee Caffari, who 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, 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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For further information and interview requests contact:
Caroline Ayling
Mobile: +44 (0) 7801 351950
E-mail: caroline.ayling@synergy-sponsorship.com
Kelly Russell
Mobile: +44 (0)7786 516570
E-mail: Kelly.russell@synergy-sponsorship.com
Website: www.avivaoceanracing.com
Images: www.avivaoceanracing.com/images
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