Solo-Around-Nonstop - Dee Caffari/Aviva www.avivachallenge.com - zur Übersicht 16.01.2006 Aviva ‘airborne’ in big Southern Ocean seas In Brief - Winds up to 55 knots true in upwind fight - Aviva ‘airborne’ in huge seas - Minor damage could have easily been much worse Summary Solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari is at 50 degrees south today, waiting for the next shift to the southwest as another large Southern Ocean low-pressure system passes to the south. Zwischendurch auch mal etwas Sonne The shift – expected this evening - will bring bitterly cold winds straight from Antarctica, but it is not the falling temperature or wind chill that dominates Dee’s reports. 56 days and 9500 miles into her circumnavigation, it is all about balancing her principle concerns - boat speed and safety: “We are constantly trading off shortest distance to boat speed, weather and safety. It is a complex game and my faith in Mike Broughton who is analysing and helping decide all these factors is complete.” Dee is well known for her determination and has always indextained that while her attempt to achieve a world-first is not a race against time, she has no intention of cruising round. Discussing what she and weather router Mike Broughton had learned since rounding Cape Horn almost two weeks ago, Dee said: “Sailing at lower latitudes and mixing with the low-pressure centres generally gets us beaten up rather than help boat speed.” Monitoring the course of the current system passing to the south, Dee said: “It looks rather like a dartboard on my weather fax so I am glad we are a few hundred miles north of it, even though we can still feel its effects rather clearly.” According to Mike, she made an unusual start to her Southern Ocean passage but recent weather has prompted conditions traditionally associated with the toughest of upwind fights. “Running along between the latitudes of 53 and 55 degrees south, Dee has made swift progress since rounding Cape Horn. Significantly, by holding a southerly route, Aviva has been able to benefit by staying on the south side of two depressions and actually been able to enjoy unusual running conditions rather than having to beat into head winds. Normally you would see a ‘saw tooth’ track of a yacht having to beat into westerly quadrant winds after rounding the Cape. You can see, up until [Thursday last week] the track is remarkably straight.” After the worst of the “big blow” had passed on Thursday last week Dee wrote: “You cannot imagine how good it feels to see 30 knots on the B&G Instruments after spending a night looking at the numbers ranging between 45 and 55 knots of true wind.” “The waves were creating huge walls of water that Aviva was fighting to get over,” continued Dee. “The autopilot was also struggling. Some waves were like launch pads and we took off from them and came down moments later with an almighty thud. You heard Aviva groan under the strain.” Today winds of 25-30 knots from west-north-west will feel like a welcome break after a weekend of high winds and minor damage: “I did a deck check to find that my headsail furling line that I replaced after snapping during the first week has badly chafed again. I furled the headsail away and end for ended the line as an interim measure while we decide on a solution. While I was doing this I thanked my lucky stars that the line hadn't chafed completely through the other night. A full sail with no means of furling it away in 50+ knots of wind would have been far from ideal and a massive risk to sails and me when I would have had to fix it with something. A catastrophe avoided.” Dee also discovered a small hole in the staysail during another routine deck check at the weekend: “It was in line with the clew of the headsail and I would put money on it being from the other night in our big blow with a couple of tacks, some of which were planned, but the one that wasn't led to the headsail being pinned against the staysail. I was concerned for the small hole in another blow becoming a major tear that would be difficult to repair.” She furled the sail away and waited for the conditions to ease. When they did she set about dropping the sail to patch the hole only for the wind to pick up and make life incredibly difficult: “I spent 30 minutes regaining control of the sail whose middle third had decided to take a swim. I was fighting with an area of sail that was full of water. It took all my strength and some, to get the sail back on deck.” Eventually the repair was made and the staysail restored, although she will have to be wary of deterioration in high winds. The job finished, a lull in the wind alerted Dee to another matter requiring urgent attention – her feet and their growing aroma! “I could no longer blame the boots, it was in fact my feet in my smelly socks.” The weather permitted a wash and a change of thermals and Dee was left feeling, “much better and I can now live with my feet.” Quick Links Read Dee’s latest diary entry, describing her fight to repair the staysail in difficult conditions http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6&thisDay=16&thisMonth=1&view=day More pictures from Dee – see the latest images of Aviva beating to windward in the Southern Ocean: http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=48 Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE