Aviva speeds towards the finish line - TJV

by Caroline Ayling on 23 Nov 2007 As the wind picks up along the Brazilian coastline, Dee Caffari and Nigel King are flying towards the finish line of the Transat Jacques Vabre race. It is expected that Dee will cross the finish line and successfully complete her first transatlantic crossing onboard Aviva tomorrow morning.

Dee commented from onboard Aviva, 'We kept a fast pace up all day mainly thanks to the slightly lifted south-easterly breeze that filled into 15 – 20 knots today. Aviva was able to crack her sheets and be off. The ride was a wet one with spray reaching the helm and the leeward side under water with spray as the rigging hit the water at speed consistently above 14 knots.'

Aviva Ocean Racing campaign Director, Andrew Roberts, is delighted with Aviva's progress, 'Dee and Nigel have had a fantastic 24 hour run of 339.9 miles which has only been bettered by three of the newest and hottest boats in the fleet. It really goes to show how far Dee has come in this competitive race.'

The strong winds that have filled Aviva’s sails has meant Dee and Nigel have been able to close the gap on their race-rivals Cervin EnR, now only 34 miles ahead. Both Dee and Nigel are overjoyed to be finishing on fast run-in to Salvador de Bahia and with one day to go will be chasing their competition to the very end.

Dee said, 'It was great being polled as the fastest boat on the water and little by little we have reduced the miles that lay between Cervin EnR, the next boat in front and us. Only time will tell if we can reach them before we run out of juice in the tank or time on the clock.'

www.avivaoceanracing.com