Dee Caffari and crew battling unfavourable conditions

by Kelly Russell on 20 Jun 2009 Day Four: Round Britain and Ireland record attempt

Dee Caffari and crew feeling positive onboard Aviva


Dee Caffari and her all female crew onboard Aviva have been battling unfavourable conditions in their attempt to break the record for sailing around Britain and Ireland. Despite losing some miles overnight, morale remains high and the crew are confident that with stronger winds forecast for today they will be able to pick up the speed required to put them back on record pace.

At 19:11hrs last night, Samantha Davies commented:

'Out here our world is tipped over at 30 degrees, and jumps around like a fairground ride. Not really so much fun as yesterday and a bit slower, but luckily in about 8 hours things should speed up!... My body aches all over and I need more sleep. That is the same for everyone on board, as we are giving all we can to keep Aviva at 110% and break this record. Morale is high, despite the exhaustion, the team is getting more and more solid and we are motivated to work together to maximise our performance.'

At 06:59 hrs this morning, skipper Dee Caffari added:

'Had some upwind sailing last night which was bumpy, wet and uncomfortable and to add to the discomfort - we lost some all important miles. We tacked when the front came and have been sailing down the line for the early hours. The wind is a little shifty and is forecast to get stronger allowing us, we hope, some fast reaching conditions. All good for a record time!'

At 09:37 hrs this morning, Miranda Merron commented:

'The only safe place to be is in the beanbag (luxury accommodation here!), happy in the knowledge that every hour we are banking 5 miles, as Aviva rockets along at 16 knots. St Kilda is the next turning mark, 60 miles away.

Old habits die hard - Sam has taken to eating Nutella with a spoon straight out of the jar, having held out for 3 and a half. Prior to that, she was being healthy and eating Nutella on Ryvita. Miranda never tried the healthy option anyway.'

At 10:30 hrs (BST) this morning, Caffari and her all female crew were passing the Isle of Lewis off the North West coast of Scotland.