Solo-Around-Nonstop - Dee Caffari/Aviva www.avivachallenge.com - zur Übersicht 03.01.2006 ‘Autopilot solution means Dee should round Cape Horn tonight’ In Brief - Dee expected to round Cape Horn tonight - Autopilot problems solved – the Aviva Challenge can continue - Northerly winds of 15-20 knots forecast for rounding the Cape - Iceberg spotted at 45 degrees south Summary The most dramatic stage of the challenge to date finally came to an end on New Years Eve, with the news that Dee would be continuing on to Cape Horn and beyond released by the shore team. Now she is just hours from rounding the infamous cape and entering the notorious Southern Ocean. Weather Specialist Mike Broughton expects her to pass Cape Horn in the early hours of Wednesday morning UK-time, predicting northerly winds of around 15-20 knots. “Given the present nasty conditions, I would imagine Dee will be quite happy with that bit of news,” he wrote. Eisberg gesichtet auf 45 Grad Breite ! AVIVA zwischen Falklands und Kap Hoorn Those nasty conditions meant Dee welcomed the New Year in unique style: “New Years Day brought with it 35 knots, rain, thunder and big seas. The temperature also plummeted with the southerly wind. We reduced sail early as we were expecting it and hung on for the ride. This is the test we needed for the breather pipes on the autopilot. It was a bouncy introduction to 2006 but a very positive one.” The adaptations to the autopilot systems that have allowed her to continue demonstrated Dee’s determination to find an answer, but it was not an easy ride. During the week from Christmas Day to New Years Day, Dee has fought hard to find a solution while faced with the constant nightmare that the challenge may end early. On Thursday last week Dee wrote: “So far in this week’s autopilot episode, we have squirted oil from both pumps, we have air in one system rendering it off line and the other has sprung into life for no apparent reason. We have re-wired half of the electrics in the box and we only have 8 bottles of hydraulic oil reindexing” (Editors note: the Shore Team later confirmed that this is enough hydraulic oil for Dee to complete the voyage). “I built, under guidance from the technical team, a breather extension for the header tank, to help let the air escape without losing any more valuable fluid. All being well, this adaptation will be present on both pumps and become a permanent feature.” It sounds simple in hindsight, but Dee has been in continual contact with her technical team, who sent her instructions each day, searched for answers on the basis of test results and put their festive holiday on hold to try and beat the clock. Cape Horn was approaching and without a satisfactory solution the Aviva Challenge would have been over. As well as breather extensions, Dee has also carried out some extensive electrical rewiring, but not without drama. “I got to the last three wires and... all I could hear were alarms,” wrote Dee. “I had not only got it wrong but had ruined both pumps in one easy step. I went from two working if not fully-functioning pumps to nothing in the pull of a wire. “In a sulk I sat on deck awaiting the reaction to my news … I had laughed, cried, stamped my feet, and had tried hitting Aviva, but she is steel and I just hurt my hand. The answers came by email and I adjusted the wires and it was like the light had suddenly been turned back on and all was well with the world again. “I hadn't got it wrong there was just another wire we had to deal with and the solution was simple to do. Yet again the technical team had saved the day. So we now have two separate autopilot units, all wired in with only 1 switch to change from one set to the other.” The process has been exhausting and stressful for Dee, but Project Director Andrew Roberts praised her for showing, “enormous tenacity and guts and grit to get to the bottom of the problem and solve it.” Dee admitted that it has been a tearful and emotional week in her interview with Elaine Bunting, sounding upset and tired. In her latest recorded update with Elaine on the 1st January, the difference is there to hear. Her voice sounds upbeat and confident, a world away from the trepidation and fear of a few days ago. “I’ve had two days where I haven’t cried which is really exciting,” said Dee. “I’ve eaten loads and I’ve been sleeping as well.” Writing her first diary entry for 2006, Dee noted that she is celebrating New Year in the Southern Ocean, heading against the winds, for the second year in a row. “I'll plan somewhere warmer for 2007 I think,” she joked, but has been thinking about New Years resolutions: “The only one that I was concentrating on was to complete this voyage safely. I considered stopping biting my nails, but I am pretty close to my knuckles already after the drama of the last few weeks, so that one is a long shot and one that I make every year. The aims, hopes and aspirations for 2006 are difficult to make right now at the bottom of the world with 18000 miles still to go, but as we make progress and get closer to home I am sure they will become clearer.” For now, she will be concentrating on the hostile waters ahead. “Its going to be 10000 miles of cold wet and windy stuff,” she said to Elaine, “but as long as I look after the boat, I don’t have to push really hard, I can reduce sail early and let the boat go through it and fingers crossed I can keep everything working … it’s all about getting through it in one piece.” Quick Links Read Dee’s latest diary entry: http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6 Find out more about Dee building a a breather extension for the header tank http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6&thisDay=29&thisMonth=12&view=day Listen to Dee talking about the Southern Ocean on New Years Day http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=32 Dee passes an iceberg at 45 degrees south! Read Dee’s description of a very unusual sight: http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6&thisDay=30&thisMonth=12&view=day Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE