Oceanracing 2005- Solo-Around-Nonstop

Solo-Around-Nonstop - Dee Caffari/Aviva
www.avivachallenge.com - zur Übersicht

05 May 2006
Dee crosses her outbound track in high spirits

Days at sea: 165
Distance to finish: 1,947
Position: 600 miles west of Mauritania, West Africa
Current conditions: 15-20 knots from the northeast

Dee and Aviva are currently on course to cross the finish line* sometime between 17th and 20th May

Latest News
In the early hours of this morning Dee crossed her outbound track and “completed the loop” round the planet. Tangible landmarks have been scarce in Dee’s gruelling westabout circumnavigation, so psychological milestones such as this are of huge importance. She has now crossed every line of longitude on the planet and has set her sights firmly on the finish line, now less than 2000 miles away.

Dee's größter Fan

In the latest Aviva Challenge podcast with Elaine Bunting (which also includes an interview with one of Britain’s foremost adventurers David Hempleman-Adams) she said: “I was checking the charts every ten minutes and when I actually did it I had a huge grin on my face and thought ‘well, that’s one loop, now I’ve got to get home!’”

Asked if she feels close to the finish, she said: “I do, once I cleared the Doldrums and started heeling I felt better about things and getting north of the Cape Verde islands is quite a significant landmark. Now I can see the Canaries and Madeira on the chart and they are pretty close to home for me compared to where I’ve been. Life is just brilliant at the moment and it’s very exciting!”

Having recently seen a passing tanker and heard voices on the VHF for the first time in weeks, yesterday brought another reminder that she is heading for busy waters, but this time Dee reported a “strange encounter in the early hours.” A vessel came in sight with lights indicating it was under engine despite obviously sailing, and with “nothing showing on the radar” Dee was concerned.
“I shone a strong beam onto my sails and then at the other vessel. I was relieved to see a deck floodlight go on, on the other vessel. At least I knew someone was awake and had seen me … He made no alteration of course, so I adjusted my course and as I was sailing faster, I cleared enough sea room to be able to get ahead and return to my northerly heading … I wanted to speak to the vessel as a courtesy, as he had no radar signal at all ... I was going to suggest a radar reflector be hoisted for his journey. I tried three times to raise the vessel on the VHF and yet had no response. It made me nervous for his passage and for the reindexder of mine.”

Weather
Aviva Challenge weather forecaster Mike Broughton’s latest forecast prompted an ecstatic response from Dee. In an email she wrote: “Wow, this is exciting news. I was grinning from ear to ear reading your message.”
“Traditionally at this stage of the voyage,” says Mike, “Dee would expect to be beating to windward all the way to the Bay of Biscay. Sailing into the wind in this manner is slower than reaching or running so she was thrilled when I suggested that her speed would increase if she bears away by 10-15 degrees in anticipation of a high-pressure system around 700 miles up the track.

“The high-pressure system is south of the Azores and moving east and the exciting news is that as it moves east, hopefully Dee can sail round the western side of the of the system and benefit greatly from the conditions in about six days time.
“Rather than adopting a ‘zig-zag’ course into the wind, Dee will enjoy favourable downwind running conditions. Not only is it a more comfortable point of sail, but it is also faster. She is already doing around 8 knots at the moment and by digging in to the favourable conditions Dee could take up to 2 days off the time reindexing if conditions play out as we hope.”

*The official finish line lies between Ushant, France and The Lizard, UK. Once she has crossed the line, it is planned that Dee will make her way directly to Ocean Village in Southampton, UK.
Aviva Challenge Competition update: Dee has now crossed her outbound track and the winner of the competition will be announced soon.

CAFFARI OUT OF THE DOLDRUMS AND headING HOME FAST
Solo round-the-world yachtswoman Dee Caffari crossed her outbound track in the North Atlantic today and has set her sights firmly on the Aviva Challenge finish line.
Solo yachtswoman Dee Caffari, onboard Aviva, is less than 2,500 miles from the finish line after crossing her outbound track today. Based on current predictions, Caffari is on course to cross the Ushant-Lizard* line sometime between 17th and 20th May and is pushing hard for home in the final phase of her world-record voyage.

Caffari has sailed 26,700 miles in 165 days alone at sea, and has now crossed every line of longitude on the planet. Tangible landmarks have been scarce during her attempt to become the first woman to sail round the world against the prevailing winds and currents, so psychological milestones such as crossing her outbound track are of huge importance to her.
“On departure, my mentor Sir Chay Blyth gave me a bottle of champagne for this day but it wasn't until now that I realised how big a milestone it is. Sailing with the prevailing winds behind you is like downhill skiing; a fast, furious and challenging ride. Sailing against the winds is more like climbing a mountain; it’s an arduous, punishing and exhausting fight against the oncoming elements” says Caffari.

Sir Chay Blyth CBE BEM was the first person to complete a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation from east to west in 1971, dubbed ‘the impossible voyage’ at the time. His team has provided the yacht and crucial logistical support for the Aviva Challenge. Sir Chay commented:
“For me this is the most outstanding passage ever made by one woman alone. Testament to the difficulty of the non-stop solo westabout circumnavigation, it was 21 years after I first went round before another sailor, Mike Golding, took on the challenge.
“Even now only four men** have completed the gruelling voyage against the winds and Dee is now on the verge of becoming the first woman ever to achieve this. She has combined excellent seamanship with unrelenting determination to get through often horrific conditions and extreme isolation.”

After crossing the finish line, Caffari will make her way to Ocean Village in Southampton, UK, where huge crowds are expected to celebrate the world-first and see Caffari’s first steps on dry land after six months at sea. Information and updates on the expected time of arrival will be posted on www.avivachallenge.com as Caffari heads north to the finish line.

* The official Aviva Challenge finish line lies between Ushant, northwest France and The Lizard, UK. Caffari must cross this line to successfully complete the circumnavigation and claim the world record.
** Sir Chay Blyth was the first man to circumnavigate the world from east to west in 1971, taking 292 days. In 1993/4 Mike Golding achieved the westabout circumnavigation in 161 days. 2000 saw French skipper Philipe Monnet set a new record of 151 days before his compatriot Jean Luc Van Den Heede set the current record of 122 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes and 49 seconds in 2004.
-Ends-
Enquiries including requests for photography and footage: · Karen Earl Sponsorship
Dan Wedgwood +44 (0)207 202 2846 +44 (0)7787 521995 Caroline Ayling +44 (0)207 202 2840 · Aviva Sue Winston, head of group media relations +44 (0)20 7662 8221 +44 (0)7800 699 661
· Aviva’s principal business activities are long-term savings, fund management and general insurance, with worldwide total sales* of £35 billion and assets under management of £317 billion at 31 December 2005.
The Aviva media centre at www.aviva.com/media includes images, company and product information and a news release archive.
Challenge Business
· Challenge Business is the organiser for ‘The Aviva Challenge’, co-ordinating the shore team and logistics behind Dee Caffari’s solo, non-stop circumnavigation.
· Challenge Business is a market leader in creating, managing and promoting World Class events - providing the opportunity for ordinary people to do the extraordinary, for the professionals to reach for the extreme and visionary businesses to achieve amazing results.
· Challenge Business uses the participation and passion of adventure sport to create integrated marketing programmes for innovative businesses and has a sponsorship community of many hundreds of blue chip companies worldwide.