Home News Product Reviews Health & Fitness Features Healthy Eating

ARCHIVE NEWS

If it is not your content, try to search here:
Sailing - 11. September 2008.

Celebrity Godparents bless Dee Caffari¹s Open 60 yacht Aviva with sabrage display


Celebrity Godparents bless Dee Caffaris Open 60 yacht Aviva with sabrage display

credit: onEdition
L to R: Lady Pippa Blake performs a sebrage (opening a bottle of champagne with a sword) watched by L to R: Dee Caffari, Phillip Scott and Patrick Poivre d'Arvor at the blessing ceremony in Portsmouth today.



The start of the Vendée Globe 2008/09 yacht race is only 63 days away and
today at Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth, Dee Caffari had her Open 60 yacht Aviva
blessed by its celebrity godparents ahead of the gruelling round the world
race. Briton Lady Pippa Blake, widow of celebrated sailor and Caffari¹s
long-time inspiration Sir Peter Blake, and French news presenter Patrick
Poivre d¹Arvor wished Aviva and the solo yachtswoman a safe passage during
the Vendée Globe.

If she completes the Vendée Globe, Caffari will make history by becoming the
first woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world in both directions. The
solo skipper wanted to adopt the longstanding French tradition of appointing
Godparents to support her Open 60 racing yacht.

To celebrate today¹s blessing by Lady Pippa Blake and Patrick Poivre
d¹Arvor, Dee has chosen to perform a sabrage with the boat¹s two guardians.
The sabrage is a ceremonial display whereby the cork of a champagne bottle
is extravagantly removed by swiping the bottle with a sword.  Caffari learnt
the art of sabrage when invited earlier this year by Mumm Champagne to join
the new Cordon Rouge Club, a revered group of adventurers and explorers.

Aviva¹s godparents performed the ritual on the foredeck as they gave the
state of the art yacht their blessing. The trio were joined by Philip Scott,
chief financial officer of Aviva, the world¹s fifth largest savings,
investments and insurance company who have supported Dee and her team since
her first record breaking voyage, the Aviva Challenge, in 2005.


Celebrity Godparents bless Dee Caffaris Open 60 yacht Aviva with sabrage display
credit: onEdition
L to R: Lady Pippa Blake, Patrick Poivre d'Arvor and Dee Caffari at the blessing ceremony in Portsmouth today.


Lady Pippa Blake, said:

OI¹m delighted and honoured to be Aviva¹s godmother. The Vendée Globe is one
of the toughest ocean races, and I wish Dee and Aviva the best of luck in
completing the race and setting a new world record. Dee is a really
inspirational woman and it gives me great pleasure to bless such a
magnificent yacht. I know my husband would be proud of her, and would wish
both Dee and the boat a safe passage around the globe.¹
 

Caffari and Aviva also have a godparent from the other side of the English
Channel, as one of France¹s best known news presenters Patrick Poivre
d¹Arvor (affectionately known as OPPDA¹), who today lent his support to Dee
and her Aviva Ocean Racing campaign. The broadcaster will be the official
starter of the Vendée Globe, on Sunday 9 November 2008.  Poivre d¹Arvor will
fire the gun to set the thirty-strong fleet on its way around the world. The
Frenchman today wished Caffari success in completing the race which has only
been won by his own countrymen since it¹s inauguration in 1989.

Caffari commented:

OIt¹s been wonderful to celebrate Aviva today, she¹s such a powerful and
commanding racing yacht and to have her blessed by Lady Pippa Blake and
Patrick Poivre d¹Arvor is a great honour. These last few weeks I¹ve been
getting miles under my belt and testing Aviva ahead of the Vendée Globe.
We¹ve really bonded and I¹m excited at the prospect of getting over to the
start in France. I hope having Patrick on the start line in Les Sable
d¹Olonne will give Aviva and me some extra luck!¹
Thank you so much, if you tweet or share
UP
Have you read it?
England Women squads named for white-ball tour to New Zealand
Gilles & Poirier Golden at ISU Four Continents Championships
Please follow us