At 3.17pm GMT today, British sailors Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson completed the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre, France to Costa Rica onboard Aviva.
- Caffari ranked sixth in IMOCA Ocean Racing World Championship
At 3.17pm GMT today, British sailors Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson completed the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre, France to Costa Rica onboard Aviva. The duo raced hard through the final stages to finish in eighth position from the original fleet of 14 IMOCA Open 60 yachts that started the 4,800 mile race 19 days ago.
On crossing the finish line, Caffari commented: “I’m really happy that Brian, Aviva and I have arrived safely in Costa Rica – it was tough out there for us, not just battling the extreme weather in the first week but the ongoing problems we had with the generator and lack of power as a result. Sailing with Brian has been fantastic though – we’ve had some great banter on board and both helped each other through the tricky times!”
Co-skipper Brian Thompson added: “The fact that only 10 out of 14 starters from such a strong fleet are still in the race shows just how demanding the conditions were in the initial stages of this race. Dee and I worked together well to push Aviva hard and I am pleased that we managed to stay competitive right until the finish. It was frustrating seeing Akena Verandas sail past in the closing stages but we had a good battle with them and the others in the middle of the pack.”
The Transat Jacques Vabre was the last of the races validated by IMOCA in the two year Open 60 season and Aviva’s result earned additional points for both Caffari and Thompson. Out of 33 skippers, Caffari was ranked sixth in her first full IMOCA season, and Thompson eighth. The World Championship title was won by Marc Guillemot, skipper of Safran.
Caffari commented: “To have finished sixth in the IMOCA rankings, alongside noted sailors like Michel Desjoyeaux and Marc Guillemot is an added bonus and makes me very proud of how much Aviva and I have achieved in the past two years.”
Aviva, the world’s fifth largest insurance group, has supported Caffari since 2005 and announced a new partnership with Caffari last month as the racing team’s founding partner. Dee is now actively searching for a new title sponsor to join her campaign to achieve a podium finish in the 2012 Vendée Globe.
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For further information contact:
Kelly Russell, Synergy
Telephone: 020 3128 6822 / 07786 516570
E-mail: kelly.russell@synergy-sponsorship.com
Notes to editors:
Aviva
Aviva, the international savings, investments and insurance group, is the world’s fifth largest insurance group, serving 50 million customers across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific.
Aviva Ocean Racing
- Aviva Challenge
In May 2006 solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari, became the first woman to sail around the world non-stop against the prevailing winds and currents in her yacht Aviva. Caffari sailed 29,227 miles triumphing over extreme isolation, lethal icebergs, mountainous waves, vicious storms and hurricane force winds to set a new world record in a time of 178 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes and 15 seconds. - Vendée Globe 2008/9
At 1.13pm (GMT) on 16 February 2009, Dee Caffari completed a double world first by crossing the official finish line of the Vendée Globe yacht race after 99 days to become the first woman to sail solo, non-stop both ways around the world. - Round Britain and Ireland Record
On 22 June 2009 Dee Caffari and an all female crew, including fellow British yachtswoman and Vendée Globe race rival Samantha Davies set a new record for sailing around Britain and Ireland – 6 days, 11 hours, 30 minutes and 53 seconds. This was 17 hours and 16 minutes ahead of the previous record set in May 2004 onboard Solune. - Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year 2009
On 3 November 2009, Dee Caffari was awarded the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration at the prestigious Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards
Further information on Dee Caffari and the Aviva Ocean Racing campaign can be found at www.avivaoceanracing.com.
Brian Thompson
Finishing fifth in the last Vendée Globe onboard Bahrain Team Pindar, this British yachtsman exudes quiet determination. Brian Thompson has an exceptional ability to adapt to a variety of circumstances and knows how to get the most out of everything that floats.
Brian has become a key crew member on a large number of both mono-hull and multi-hull boats and among his many achievements are the Oryx Quest 2005, taking the role of watch leader on the round the world record in 2004 on Cheyenne and the Columbus Route the previous year on PlayStation.
In recent years, Brian has sailed a great deal with his compatriot Mike Golding and raced the Artemis Challenge and the Rolex Fastnet race this summer with Dee Caffari and her crew onboard Aviva, finishing fifth in both events. Rightly considered one of the most experienced sailors on the international scene and holder of 25 sailing records, Brian will be looking forward to joining forces with Dee and racing with her rather than against her.
For more information on Brian Thompson, visit www.brianthompsonsailing.com.