Dee and Anna at Cape Horn. Image copyright Equipo GAES Centros Auditivos.
by Coralie Rassinoux
After 70 days of racing in the Barcelona World Race, record breaking British yachtswoman Dee Caffari and her Spanish co skipper Anna Corbella celebrated the rounding of Cape Horn in the early hours of this morning (GMT). For Caffari this is the fourth time she has passed the iconic landmark and the all-female duo had the added bonus of overtaking closest race rivals Hugo Boss as they make their exit from the notorious Southern Ocean. For Corbella this is her first time passing Cape Horn and a huge achievement as she endeavours to become the first Spanish woman to sail non-stop around the world.
Caffari said:
“I have passed Cape Horn four times now and each time has been quite different. The first was in the company of 17 other crew members on the Global Challenge, the second on my own during the Aviva Challenge when I encountered uncharacteristic mill pond conditions. The third was spent dodging a huge storm during the Vendee Globe and this time I am here with Anna who is celebrating her very first time around. They say variety is the spice of life and it is wonderful to share such a special achievement with her after working so hard together over the last two months or so.”
Corbella has been struggling with the cold conditions over the last few weeks and the passing of Cape Horn will be a much welcome morale boost to the Catalan sailor who is more accustomed to the warmer climes of Barcelona than the depths of the Southern Ocean.
Caffari added:
“It was actually quite emotional. I congratulated Anna on getting here and reminded her that not everyone achieves this. I am very proud of her and now she is the first Spanish woman to round Cape Horn. Way to go!! It is a huge achievement for anyone that gets round this corner and with it comes a sense of relief. Surviving the Southern Ocean and escaping its clutches, returning to the Atlantic and psychologically the big thing is to point the bow towards home.”
Over the last few days the GAES girls have managed to claw back some miles and at the 0500 hrs ranking were in 7th place, 5 miles ahead of closest race rivals Andy Meiklejohn & Wouter Verbraak on Hugo Boss. There has been no change at the head of the fleet with Virbac-Paprec 3 leading by 463 miles. After making a technical appraisal of the keel problem on their IMOCA Open 60, Kito de Pavant & Sébastien Audigane onboard Groupe Bel reluctantly made the decision last night to abandon the race. The Barcelona World Race fleet has now shrunk down to eleven from an original line up of fourteen.
Aviva has been a longstanding supporter of Dee Caffari and her inspirational record breaking sailing achievements, assisting her to three world records including becoming the first woman to sail solo, non stop, around the world in both directions. As Founding Partner of Caffari’s sailing campaign, Aviva is pleased to extend this support to Corbella and GAES for the Barcelona World Race.
GAES Centros Auditivos
Barcelona World Race
