Dee Caffari
Dee Caffari has sailed around the world six times. 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 three 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
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…
Festive cheer from Melbourne
The departure from Cape Town was windy and varied, as we had anticipated, with a huge transition zone in the shadow of Table Mountain. Although we had a poor start line up and were late, we worked hard at a reach to the first mark and got back in the game, controlled…
From Cape Town to Christmas
Our stopover in Cape Town has been most excellent. Fabulous food, great weather and some much needed R & R for me and the crew ahead of the next leg. However, the lure of so many cool activities has not seen us lounging around too much. As well as swimming with…
Fighting all the way to Cape Town
We arrived into Cape Town on Saturday night in last place and my team and I were heartbroken. After 21 days at sea, 7000 miles of intensive and close racing and with fifth place within our grasp right up until the very end, the final result was decided by just 1minute…
Onwards and upwards
On Sunday, we set off on Leg 2 of the Volvo Ocean Race for 7000 miles of ocean sailing. This is the most challenging and technical of all the legs and the most fun to sail. If I had to pick a forecast to make this journey, the conditions we are anticipating are close…