Having spent the last 3 months in Spain, Dee and her team are looking forward to bringing her Open 60, GAES Centros Auditivos, back to the UK. The next few days will see the team welcome guests and sponsors aboard for some sailing followed by preparations for the delivery trip back home to Gosport.

On completing the Vuelta a Espana on 1st July, Dee looked back on the race saying:

“If you ignore the mountainous regions, our circuit of Spain has been completed. Just before dawn we ghosted across the finish line off Barcelona, one month to the day since we departed. The Veulta Espana a Vela has been interesting, exciting, frustrating and fun. Overall we would return. It has been good to line up against the well practised and experienced French teams as well as the equally talented and newer Spanish teams.

We have had a great opportunity to comprehensively test the modifications we have made to the boat, GAES Centros Auditivos. After three months in the shed it has been a relief to be back on the water, however, a full night’s sleep is definitely high on the priority list. With short stages and short stopovers all the teams and their shore crews have struggled with finding a rhythm although it has been interesting to see how this has produced greater interaction and assistance between teams and their shore crews - with Franglais and Spanglish definitely being the language on the dock. The prize giving tonight will be a chance to celebrate Marc Guillemot and Safran’s victory, however, for our next event sixth is not a place I am hoping to finish!

Overall rankings in the Vuelta a Espana
 
Vuelta a España a Vela, final rankings, after 6 legs

Place, Boat, Skippers, Nationality, Total pts (Leg 1, Leg 2, Finisterre, Leg 3, Gibraltar, Leg 4, Leg 5, Palamós, Leg 6)
1. Safran, Marc Guillemot, FRA, 11,5 (1+2+0,5+1+0,5+2+1+1,5+2)
2. PRB, Vincent Riou, FRA, 18,5 (2+1+1+2+1,5+6+2+2+1)
3. Estrella Damm, P.Ribes/ A.Pella, ESP, 32 (5+5+2+4+1+4+5+1+5)
4. W Hotels-Nova Bocana, P.Rivero/ A.Piris, ESP, 32 (4+4+1,5+3+3+8+3+2,5+3)
5. Movistar, I.Martínez/ X.Fernández, ESP, 35,5 (3+3+2,5+6+2,5+10+4+0,5+4)
6. GAES Centros Auditivos, D.Caffari/ A.Corbella, GBR/ESP, 49 (6+6+3+5+2+12+6+3+6)
7. Central Lechera Asturiana, J.Merediz/ F.Palacio, ESP, 59,5 (7+7+3,5+7+3,5+14+7+3,5+7)
8. Pakea Bizkaia, J.Mumbrú/ C.Sanmarti, ESP, 68 (8+8+4+8+4+16+8+4+8)

 

Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella claim sixth place into Palma on Leg 5 of the Vuelta a Espana At 10.36 hrs BST today, the crew aboard GAES Centros Auditivos completed the 140 miles between the towns of Calpe and Palma, which formed the penultimate stage of the Vuelta a Espana. The Open 60 skippered by British yachtswoman Dee Caffari and Spaniard Anna Corbella finished in sixth position despite encountering serious problems with the main winch during the leg.

 As they passed through Formentera, the GAES Centros Audutivos crew were third in the fleet, however, problems with the main winch then saw them drop back several places to seventh. A thrilling struggle with Central Lechera Asturiana just two miles from the finish allowed them to pass their race rivals to finish sixth, which is also their position overall in the competition.

On arriving in Palma, Dee Caffari commented, “It was a shame because we were third past Formentera. We have been forced to change our tactics and just could not catch the other boats. We did a great job in the first part of this race, which is really encouraging.”

Anna Corbella added: “On the one hand we are pleased to have regained a place just before the finish line but are somewhat disappointed because we were racing really well until we had the problem with the winch.”

Safran and PRB once again secured first and second positions respectively, with W Hotels across the finish line in third. Estrella Damm and Movistar finished fourth and fifth, less than two minutes apart highlighting the close racing in this competition.

Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella reached the finish line of Leg 4 of the Vuelta a Espana a Vela in the port of Calpe at 1157hrs BST today. On the South run through the Atlantic GAES Centros Auditivos held their own with the leading group on this, the longest of the six legs of the competition. As expected, the Mediterranean dealt conditions that resulted in a loss of speed that saw them drop back from their closest race rivals. 

GAES Centros Auditivos enjoyed a very good first half of the race, crossing the Gibraltar Strait in fourth place behind Safran, PRB and Estrella Damm.

Commenting from the dockside, Dee Caffari said:

“The first half was magnificent. The spinnaker went up all the time and we have not changed the configuration of the sails since we left the Vigo estuary and this allowed us to get away and put us back in front of the fleet.”

Anna Corbella added: “Tactically, we suffered in the Mediterranean resulting in us being left behind. Overall we are pleased with our performance although it is clear that we still have many things to learn to gain better performance from the boat.”

Marc Guillemot onboard Safran was the first boat to cross the finish line securing his third win of the competition. Estrella Damm and PRB completed the podium with W Hotels and Movistar crossing the finish line in fourth and fifth places respectively.

At the end of leg 4, the Vuelta a Espana a Vela is led by Safran, followed by PRB in second. Estrella Damm is the highest ranking Spanish in third whilst GAES Centros Auditivos retains sixth place overall.

Leg 5 begins this Sunday with a short sprint of 140 miles to Palma.

With 880 racing miles ahead of the entire IMOCA Open 60 fleet on Leg 4 of the Vuelta Espana, the crew aboard GAES Centros Auditivos aim to continue their progression as a team. Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella hope to capitalize on the lessons they have learned so far in this competition and are optimistic that this will be reflected in an improved position when they cross the finish line in Calpe.
 
The fourth leg from Sanxenxo to Calpe is the longest of the six legs on the course and the tricky nature of this leg mean it’s worth double the points.

“The first three races were used to gel as a team and we hope that in this race we will make faster decisions and fewer mistakes,” said Dee Caffari who added: “As an offshore sailor I am used to long distances so this leg will see me back in my comfort zone.”

The initial phase of this long leg will be sailed along the Portuguese coast in ideal conditions for the IMOCA Open 60’s with northerly winds forecast of some 25 knots, together with 4 metre waves in the same direction as the breeze. The fleet’s speed should be fast and relatively comfortable during the first day, with the wind dropping as the yachts move closer to Cabo San Vicente making it crucial to get into the leader group ahead of the possible lulls at the Gibraltar Strait.

Anna Corbella commented on the conditions ahead: “At this stage we are anticipating a variety of weather. We expect fast speeds initially and then the wind will drop off at the Gibraltar Strait. However, once we get into the Mediterranean it’s going to be like playing the lottery.”

GAES Centros Auditivos are currently in sixth place in the overall competition rankings with 20 points. Frenchman Marc Guillemot on Safran, winner of two of the three races sailed, is the leader with 4.5 points followed by compatriot Vincent Riou on PRB with 6 points.

 W Hotels is the highest ranked Spanish boat in third place on 12.5 points, two fewer than Movistar (14.5) Estrella Damm ranks fifth (16 points) and Central Lechera Asturiana (24.5 points) and Pakea Bizkaia (28 points) complete the table.

 

 

 

Having claimed 6th position on the second leg of the Vuelta Espana, the crew of GAES Centros Auditivos had a short rest overnight and set off on the next 220 mile sprint from Gijon to Sanxenxo at 1100hrs BST today. The brief recovery time in Gijon has given skipper Dee Caffari time to reflect on Leg 2 with a view to making improvements in the remaining legs of this race.

Looking back at the start of Leg 2, Dee Caffari analysed:

“There was limited water available to sail in outside of the main channel in Santander and the start was scheduled to be at 1500hrs, downwind and down tide. With limited space available and 8 IMOCA 60’s leaving together, the skippers all agreed that spinnakers would be foolish.”

“Just as we were preparing to hoist our mainsail a terrible clunking noise was heard from the engine. It was a noise I recognised from the delivery – a broken sheer pin. We found ourselves ferry gliding to the beach with a mainsail hoisted to the third reef and caught in the top mast runners. I turned the boat to keep us in the channel and we headed out downwind, fast in the flowing tide. A safe and simple Genoa was chosen and we watched the rest of the fleet take off under Gennaker.”

“GAES Centros Auditivos loved the set up of 1 reef, Solent headsail and ballast. We soon gained miles on the others and closed the gap with W Hotels and Estrella Damm. After seeing Safran and Movistar tack and having to duck to avoid Movistar we got over excited and tacked as well. This was not a good strategy for us and we made a mistake when moving the sails around on deck to the windward side. We caught the tiller and before we knew it we had crash tacked, ultimately losing us about 4 miles.”

“After that we had to work hard again to make up the distance between us and the others, so were pleased to enter a tacking duel again with Estrella Damm close to the finish in Gijon”

Looking ahead to Leg 3, Dee Caffari said:

“This race is going to have different climatic conditions to the other two stages and our goal is to get a higher top speed that allows us to be within the lead group.” Anna Corbella added: “This stage will be more enjoyable as we will be sailing downwind at speed. We will also pass Cape Finisterre which will mean we will see some changes in conditions.”

The competition is currently led by Vincent Riou on PRB, followed by Frenchman Marc Guillemot on Safran and the Spanish Movistar skippered by Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez in third place.

 

 

 For more information go to www.vueltaespanavela.com , www.deecaffari.com and www.annacorbella.com

In five years as her title sponsor, Aviva supported Dee Caffari to three world records including becoming the first woman to sail solo, non stop, around the world in both directions. As Founding Partner of the campaign, Aviva is pleased to extend this support to Anna and GAES for the Barcelona World Race

 

 

After a brief stopover in Santander – Dee, Anna and the crew of GAES Centros Auditivos are poised to begin the second leg of the Vuelta a Espana. 

At 1400hrs BST today, GAES Centros Auditivos and the rest of IMOCA Open 60 boats will leave Santander for Gijon to complete the second stage of the Tour of Spain. Dee Caffari and Anna Corbella expect the next race to provide similar weather conditions to those of the Hondarribia-Santander leg, saying:

 “Our main objective is to improve teamwork onboard, gain better boat performance and ultimately we hope to go a little faster than in the first stage.”

See more about the race HERE

Following the company’s successful experience with the sponsorship of Anna Corbella in the Transat 6.50 2009, GAES takes a step further into the world of ocean racing sponsorship.

Barcelona, 16th March 2010.- Britain’s Dee Caffari and Spain’s Anna Corbella have confirmed their entry in the Barcelona World Race as the GAES Solidaria Team and will join the fleet on the start line on the 31st December 2010. Following the successful sponsorship of the Spanish Mini Class sailor in the recent Transat 6.50/ La Rochelle – Salvador de Bahia, Barcelona’s GAES Hearing Centres are venturing further into the world of top-level ocean racing, by  entering the first all female crew of the race.

Anna Corbella and Dee Caffari started their training by delivering Dee’s Open 60, the former Aviva, from England to Spain last week. This Owen Clarke Design, built in New-Zealand by Hakes Marine and launched in January 2008 is sister-ship to Mike Golding’s Ecover and has already proved her reliability and potential by finishing all the races she entered in the top 10!

Antonio Gassó, Managing Director and CEO of GAES, speaking about their support of the first all-female crew to enter the Barcelona World Race said:

“Our sponsorship is a further commitment to the company’s relationship with the world of sport and reinforces company values such as teamwork, overcoming adversity and the power of effort”.
The GAES support of sailing began in 2007 following the development of a sophisticated and unique onboard communication system for the only Spanish entry in the 2007 America’s Cup, the Desafío Español.

According to Antonio Gassó, the new sponsorship has come about at a time when the company is not only showing support for sport and the natural environment, but also for an entirely female crew, the first to take part in this competition, hosted by Barcelona, the city where the GAES headquarters are situated and the city where the company came to life, over sixty years ago.

 Anna Corbella has on many occasions expressed that one of her ambitions was to take part in the Barcelona World Race and she has been involved in the technical and logistical preparation of other IMOCA Open 60 projects such as Pakea Bizkaia and Educación sin Fronteras.

The skipper from Barcelona is about to make her dreams come true, and hopes to learn from another extraordinary yachtswoman. The Catalan sailor declared:

 “This is my first round the world race, so I’m very excited about facing the challenge. I’m sure this project’s going to go very well, as we are all very excited about it”.

Corbella added: “For both Dee and myself, it’s a great challenge to be the only female team, to be able to compete on equal terms and to prove that out at sea, in extreme conditions, there is no difference between the sexes. We are a strong and very good team”.

For Anna Corbella (Barcelona, 1976) the Barcelona World Race is the pinnacle of the most exciting two years of her life!  Anna became the first Spanish woman to complete a solo Transatlantic regatta in 2009, when she sailed in the gruelling Transat 6.50, finishing in 13th place onboard GAES Solidaria 385 ,a 2002 design, finishing in front of many  last generation boats. With the Barcelona World Race, she could become the first Spanish woman to race around the world.

 

·         Anna has a degree in Veterinary studies from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as well as a Masters degree in Scientific Communication from the Pompeu Fabra University. She began her sailing career in dinghy sailing. Corbella has conquered two Spanish World Championships (470 and 420) and has been part of the Spanish Olympic training team for two seasons. Following a tough Mare Nostrum regatta in 2001, Anna decided to officially enter the world of offshore racing by entering the Mini Class. She finished fourth in the Mini-Med 2004, fifth in the Mini-Med 2006 and won the Taylor Woodrow Trophy regatta in 2007. She also finished sixth in the Mini-Barcelona 2008 and fourth in the Mini-Empuries 2008, before her extraordinary 13th placein the Transat 6.50 2009.

Record setting solo British yachtswoman, Dee Caffari, said:

“I am really excited about taking part in the Barcelona World Race with Anna later in the year and look forward to collaborating with our sponsor for the race, GAES Solidaria. I am also delighted to have the continued support of Aviva as Founding Partner of my ocean racing campaign and am sure that competing in a race that takes me back down into the Southern Ocean will give me an edge for my ultimate goal of competing in the Vendée Globe 2012.”

Dee Caffari MBE

In 2006 Dee Caffari MBE became the first woman to sail solo, non stop, around the world against the prevailing winds and currents. In 2009, Dee’s 6th place finish in the notorious Vendée Globe race secured her a double world first as she became the first woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world in both directions

In 2012, Dee intends to be on the start line of the Vendée Globe once again with the intention of securing a podium position. Dee Caffari’s race to the start line has now begun and she is currently searching for a new title sponsor to help fund her ambition to compete in the 2012/13 Vendée Globe.

Teenage solo circumnavigator Mike Perham and Dee Caffari MBE, the first woman to sail solo around the world both ways, are recipients of this year’s Ocean Cruising Club’s prestigious Awards of Merit.

 17-year-old Mike Perham from Potters Bar, returned to a heroes welcome at Portsmouth last August to seize the Guinness World Record as the youngest person to sail solo around the world.

Mike Perham said today. “I’m knocked out at winning this award, and to do so with Dee Caffari, one of my heroes, is the icing on the cake. I can’t wait to meet her at the awards dinner.”
Dee was equally complimentary about Mike’s record when he returned to Portsmouth. ‘What Mike has achieved is fantastic at his age. He will have learnt and developed a great deal during the months he has been away.’ She said, adding:  ‘Development is about learning and experience and this does not necessarily have to take place in an academic environment. His experiences and life skills developed at sea will have helped shaped Mike’s character. He will have learnt a great deal which  he will draw from in the future.’

Peter Whatley, Chairman of the OCC Awards committee,  said today: “We want to congratulate both sailors: Dee’s double record  has to be one that will stand for a very long time and serve as an inspiration for many in the future. Mike’s achievement proves that sailing around the world is not about age, but the determination to achieve one’s goal. Mike and Dee still have much left to give to the world of sailing and we will all watch their progress with pride, admiration and a great deal of interest.”

 The Awards Ceremony takes place at the Royal Thames Yacht Club on March 26th, two week’s before Mike Perham sets off to Australia to commence his next challenge – The Talisker Bounty Boat Expedition. He joins a 4-man crew led by Australian adventurer Don McIntyre to recreate one of the greatest open boat voyages of all time – the famous 4,000 mile story of survival of Capt William Bligh and his crew, following the infamous mutiny on HMS Bounty.