Summary
Dee Caffari passed the Cape of Good Hope at 1600 BST on Monday 03 April and began a new chapter of the Aviva Challenge. Returning to the Atlantic with her confidence building Dee has set herself the target of 12th May to cross the finish line off Ushant*. If she achieves this it will bring her total number of days at sea to 172.
Caffari has now sailed nearly 22,000 miles, spending the last 14,000 miles battling upwind across the notorious Southern Ocean. She has made the psychologically significant turn north towards the finish line, but the elation of passing the last of the three great Capes has been accompanied by the realisation that the voyage is far from over.
Project Director of the Aviva Challenge Shore Team, Andrew Roberts, says:
"She's still got 6,200 miles to the finish line, which is the equivalent of two transatlantic crossings. And we saw just how unpredictable the Atlantic can be when Aviva was hit by a vicious tropical storm with winds up to 70 knots in the early stages of the voyage just off the Azores. However, despite taking a brutal pounding across the Southern Ocean, Dee's excellent seamanship has kept the boat in remarkably good condition and there are currently no major technical issues, which bodes well for a successful charge up the Atlantic."
Even before departure, Dee highlighted the Cape of Good Hope as a major milestone. Shortly after returning to the Atlantic she wrote:
“I had a mixture of feelings. I was definitely massively relieved; I also felt proud of Aviva and the team, as together we overcame the worst conditions I have ever sailed in. In addition, I couldn't help but feel a little sad at saying goodbye to the Southern Ocean. This was emphasised with my baptism of fire last night, there was always someone on my radar, it was very busy, and it was like returning to the M25. I guess that is the end of having the ocean to myself pretty much.”
Weather forecaster, Mike Broughton, explains the dramatic change in conditions Dee will now encounter:
"Returning to the Atlantic will be a huge transition, because she will move from the very strong headwinds and frequent storms of the Southern Ocean to downwind sailing conditions in southeasterly winds after the Cape. For weeks on end she has had to fight against a Southern Ocean driven current in her face, so sailing without this impediment will be a huge relief and the winds will be far warmer, but the rigours of the Atlantic Ocean ahead, including the Doldrums, should not be under-estimated."
Aviva is now more than two tonnes lighter following the use of fuel and water and although safety will always reindex paramount, Mike Broughton adds that with the extreme forces of the Southern Ocean behind her, Dee can now be, "more 'bullish' in the way she sails the boat." Mike is also looking forward to the huge increase in meteorological data available in the Atlantic compared with the Southern Ocean, which will aid with accurate weather forecasting and all-important routing decisions to find the fastest course.
* Total number of days at sea are calculated from the point Caffari crossed the start line between Ushant, northwest France, and The Lizard in Cornwall. This is the start and finish line of her world record attempt, which officially commenced at 13H49 on 21st November 2005.
Quick Links
LATEST IMAGES from Aviva's rendezvous with a helicopter now live:
http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=30
Read Dee’s latest diary about rounding the Cape of Good Hope:
http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6
Win £5,000 of travel vouchers by guessing the point at which Dee will first cross her outbound track:
http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=57
Follow Dee’s progress using Google Earth:
http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?PageID=59
|
