Aviva Round Britain and Ireland Record Attempt - Day 6
by Jo Uffendell 21 Jun 2009 12:31 BST
Aviva on track to smash monohull speed record
Dee Caffari and her all female crew aboard Aviva have the record for sailing around Britain and Ireland firmly in their sights as they passed the Scilly Isles this morning. With just 218 miles to go and although the crew anticipate variable winds as they enter the English Channel today, they are still on track to reach the finish line before 0100hrs Tuesday morning. Entering the English Channel will also mean a return to dodging shipping, lobster pots and the effects of land and tides will be a constant over the next 24 hours or more.
At 0800 hrs this morning, skipper Dee Caffari commented:
“We will have good breeze for the next 3 hours and then it is going to become more variable, so we are expecting a bit of a slow down as we enter the English Channel. We are also back to the tidal and land effects as we dodge shipping on our way to the finish line. We are all far too superstitious to say whether we think we are going to beat the record but are giving it our all and spirits are high.”
Although the girls were not prepared to comment, the Aviva Ocean Racing shore team calculated their finish time to be anytime between 0600 and 0800hrs Monday morning.
At 0800 hrs (BST) this morning, Caffari and her all female crew were passing the Isles of Scilly.
Round Britain and Ireland Record Overview
- Dee Caffari, the British yachtswoman who made history by becoming the first woman to sail solo, non stop both ways around the world, set off at 21:09:36 on Monday 15th June to attempt to break the record for sailing around Britain and Ireland
- Caffari is joined onboard her racing yacht Aviva by an all female crew, including fellow British yachtswoman and Vendée Globe race rival Samantha Davies, sailor Miranda Merron and boat captain Alex Sizer
- The current outright record stands at 7 days 4 hours and was set in May 2004 onboard Solune
- Another record in their sights is for an all female crew, which stands at 10 days and 16 hours recorded by Samantha Davies and her crew onboard Roxy in June 2007
- The route is almost 2500 nautical miles around the British coastline and the crew
To follow Dee and the crew’s progress onboard Aviva throughout the record attempt, visit the Aviva Ocean Racing race tracker.