Dee Caffari
Dee Caffari has sailed around the world seven times, most recently as part of the first all-female crew to sail non-stop around the world on a trimaran – a record-setting achievement. She is the first woman to have sailed single-handed and non-stop around the world in both directions and the only woman to have sailed non-stop around the world a total of four times.
In 2006, Dee became the first woman to sail solo, non-stop, around the world against the prevailing winds and currents and was awarded an MBE in recognition of her achievement.
Dee’s Diary
Leg 10 – Cardiff to Gothenburg
On Sunday we will be leaving Cardiff for Gothenburg on what is the shortest leg in this race. At just 1200 miles, Leg 10 may be low on miles but it will be high on intensity. This leg is likely to see us sailing within sight of the rest of the fleet the whole way. It…
Leg 9 – Newport to Cardiff
On the morning of departure for this leg the fog was thick and the damp air hung, despite a fresh 15 knots breeze blowing. We were sure that the planned in-port section of the leg start would be cancelled and a shorter departure would be confirmed keeping the fleet…
Leg 8 – Itajai to Newport
We had a great start from Itajai, the sun was shining, and the promised sea breeze filled in making the in port section a good battle before we sailed off over the horizon to cover the 5000 plus miles to Newport. As a team we were sad to leave our newest recruit,…
Itajai to Newport
Another stopover and another whirlwind of activity as the shore team have worked tirelessly to get the boat ready for the off again this coming Sunday. Leg 8 will see us heading from Itajai, Brazil to Newport, USA and we anticipate being at sea for around 18-19 days…
An emotional Southern Ocean leg from Auckland to Itajai
Our plan at the start was to keep it simple with no mistakes and then aim to stay with the fleet as we reached East Cape 24 hours later. We managed to executed this plan and this made life easy for the whole crew, including our tactician, Frederico. Without additional…
Auckland to Itajai
On Sunday, we set off on what is generally regarded as the ‘big leg’. Our Volvo Ocean Race journey will take us round the notorious landmark of Cape Horn, a special and unique place for any sailor and a new experience for many of our crew as we head back into the…
Leg 6 Hong Kong to Auckland
Our start out of Hong Kong was not our best. Not only did we lack speed, we didn’t get the lifts or pressure that everyone else was taking advantage of. Using the MH0 and the endless tacking did not allow us to pick up the pace for any decent manoeuvres and we often…
Auckland Bound
Hong Kong has been an amazing venue to visit. It is a bustling city, with a fusion of cultures and a very dramatic skyline to sail into. Although the weather has been cold (almost as cold as the Southern Ocean) we have received a very warm welcome from everyone. The…
Leg 4 – Melbourne to Hong Kong
Sir Ben Ainslie was quoted as saying, ‘it is better to be lucky than good’. On this leg we were good but sadly not lucky and the others, well, they were both good and lucky. We had just one week of rest after Leg 3, which was a wet, cold and tiring leg. We were able…
Hong Kong on the horizon
So with Christmas now a distant memory, we are looking ahead to Leg 4 starts on Tuesday 2nd January. For this leg we have three planned crew changes. Brian Thompson steps in for Nico as navigator and, having wracked up more speed records than any other sailor, he is…