Vendée Globe

February 16. 2009 at 18:15Into the channel for Dee and ready to dock.

A perfect evening follows a perfect finish for Dee Caffari as the sun starts to think about going down casting a warm glow over the still waters of the canal and the marina Port Olona. Dee is on the foredeck with her boyfriend Harry as they come into the channel, waving to the big crowds who have turned out in force to greet Dee and her yellow Open 60.

February 16. 2009 at 16:32Veolia Environnement aboard a cargo vessel

A fortnight after reaching Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores, Veolia Environnement was loaded on to a cargo ship yesterday. She is due to reach Lorient on 23rd February. As for Bilou, he was aboard Safran, alongside Marc Guillemot during the night as they made their way into the harbour in Les Sables.

February 16. 2009 at 15:10Dee's first words at the finish

You can hear an interview at the finish with Dee Caffari by clicking here:

Here are the highlights of the interview:
There were people there waving and saying hello and I thought that was pretty cool and then a random motor cruiser came up and shouted Go Dee! And I thought wow I’m close to the finish now. Then when everybody came out towards me… I knew there would be some Ribs and stuff, but this sight was brilliant and it’s such a gorgeous day. The sunset was beautiful and a lovely sunrise and I had dolphins, so I knew it was going to be a good day.

On finishing sixth: If you’d said that in the beginning, I’d have laughed in your face. I had an awesome start, then I made a few mistakes tactically in the Atlantic and the intensity of the race in the South Atlantic was just phenomenal. I sort of said, I’m not sure if I can do this. I was OK in the south, then I lost a bit of confidence in my first storm. Everybody was having lots of problems and that was when all the damage was happening and there was Yann’s injury and I lost all my confidence then.

Cape Horn was interesting. It was quite nice to hang out and know that the other two were with me. And I had an awesome Atlantic – I suddenly turned the corner and I’d grown into my boat. I did the repair on the main to keep it going a little bit longer. We just decided as a team to go for it and if it fell apart we’d deal with that later. I was really pleased to close the gap and then the Doldrums were a nightmare. A horrible two days, the worst two days of the race. I lost 300 miles to Brian in two days. Then I spent the North Atlantic closing the gap, but I just ran out of runway today. So I didn’t quite get him, but I’m happy to have pushed him all the way to the line.

Literally I started sailing in an Open 60 eighteen months ago. In my first solo race I hated it and cried all the way and got dismasted right before the end. I thought, Oh my God! What have I let myself in for? But I loved this and have grown into the boat all the time.

And your team? The reason why I’m here is that they did such a good job preparing the boat. I owe them lots of booze and I know I did them proud. They’re really chuffed with their project and we did it together. They did the boat and I just had to go and sail it and they’ve been there whenever I needed them.
 

February 16. 2009 at 14:12Dee finishes

And Dee reaches the finish line on Aviva in sixth place at 13:12:57 hrs GMT

- Race time : 99 days, 1h, 10 minutes and 57 seconds
- Theoretical speed : 10.45 knots
- Distance covered on the water : 27,907 miles
- Average real speed: 11.74 knots

Dee finished 14 days, 22 hours and 1 minute after Michel Desjoyeaux.

February 16. 2009 at 14:09Alongside Dee

And just one third of a miles to go, Dee was making 10 knots in the puff as the breeze picked up for a few minutes.

February 16. 2009 at 13:59Alongside Dee

1.6 miles to finish and Dee can see the line clearly and is steering her Aviva, trying to fix her eyes on the sails and concentate, just savouring these moments, storing them up never to forget them. And all the time now her gaze drops back to the line, shimmering in front of her. The end of the adventure is in sight. And her team have their bags on ready to leap on board with a pizza for Dee. Seven knots of boat speed.

February 16. 2009 at 13:54Alongside Dee

And she slows a little, no hardship, 2.2 miles to go at 13.55 local time. Is there a chance that bow number 222 could finish at 2.22? Helicopters up now, sailing boats. Alain Gautier, saferty consultant and winner of the second edition of the race, driving the RIB with Golding, looking on appreciatively.

February 16. 2009 at 13:42Alongside Dee

2.5 miles to the finish and MIke Golding is alongside in a rib with Bruno Dubois and Laurent from North Sails France offering their hearty congratulations. Two British girls in the top six of this Vendee Globe is amazing....and Dee's only remaining problem is that she just can't stop smiling. And three boats finishing within 12 hours is just fantastic. Brian had such a warm welcome into the channel this morning, it is such a lovely day you would expect the same for Dee, though she will have to wait until after 1800hrs local time to get into the Channel. That is not going to be too much of a hardship given the weather, giving her three or four hours to enjoy with those closest to her.

February 16. 2009 at 13:33Alongside Dee

She is eased off on a beam reach, Aviva picking up speed with the puffs, as keen to get to the finish as Dee is, she is focussed on where the line is 3.82 miles away, so counting down the last 15 minutes of her amazing Vendee Globe. Her race started as amazingly as it is finishing, no wonder she looks ecstatic.  The shafts of sunlight streaming through the two big areas of delamination, above the second batten and above the first batten.

February 16. 2009 at 13:25Alongside Dee

Dee has 5.25 miles to go and looks deliriously happy on this beautiful afternoon, just 7-9 knots of breeze and almost warm sunshine, she is making 9 knots and her mainsail looks bad, very bad but it is holding its shape and driving her nicely, full main and G2 genoa, she is waving to the photographers every two or three minutes as the spectator fleet grows. She is en route for sixth, a huge achievement in just over two years of Open 60 sailing. Her family and friends are in close and making huge cheers. She has Les Sables d'Olonne in her view, that familiar outline she last saw on 9th November, 99 days ago.