Dee Caffari

British skipper, Denise Caffari is 33 years old and based in Portsmouth in the UK when on land. Known to her friends as 'Dee', she started sailing as a child with her father, developing a passion for the water and going on to become a dinghy instructor at university.

Dee started her career as a secondary school PE teacher, but soon realised that her destiny was a life on the water.  She gave up her job and completed the relevant yachting qualifications.

After spending some time travelling the world, she returned to the UK to take up a job with Mike Golding Yacht Racing. Working for the accomplished British sailor, she completed a number of offshore races. Mike is one of the few men to have completed the challenge that Dee is attempting. Along with Sir Chay Blyth, Dee sees Mike as an ideal role model. “They’re very focused, very driven people,” said Dee, “Whenever there’s a negative impact in terms of the sailing, in the back of my mind I’ll be thinking about the fact that Mike and Chay wouldn’t sit there and cry about it, they would just get on and do it because that’s the kind of people they are.”

Seeing the Global Challenge fleet leave Southampton in 2000 crystallized her desire to be involved in round the world yacht racing and her opportunity came in 2004. Whilst skippering and managing Formula 1 Sailing’s Farr 65s, she received the ‘call’ and was offered a job as a professional skipper in the fleet by Sir Chay Blyth.

During the Global Challenge 2004/5, Dee successfully skippered 18 amateur yachtsmen around the world, sailing the same 72ft yacht which she will use to attempt this solo circumnavigation. Dee was the only female skipper in the race and proved herself more than capable of handling the physical and mental demands of directing the amateur crew for up to six weeks at a time over seven gruelling legs.

“It was during the Global Challenge, whilst at the stopover in Cape Town, that Sir Chay first put the idea of the Aviva Challenge in my head,” said Dee. “The seed of the idea took root during the next leg and by the time I reached Boston I had decided I wanted to attempt it. During the last leg back from Boston, I spent time with my team assessing the boat and working out how to modify it for single-handed sailing and thus set in motion the planning for the voyage I am about to undertake”.

Sir Chay describes Dee as, “Very charismatic, cheerful and able to deal with adversity when it arises. She is a strong, focused and powerful lady and will have a highly motivated attitude to achieve the Challenge. Most importantly though she’s hungry: one of the most important qualities to have.”

Away from sailing, Dee loves adventure sports, travelling and taking it easy with a good book. She is a committed, experienced sailor and an extraordinary, free-spirited, and forward thinking individual. Dee is aware of the conditions she will face and can’t wait to tackle the numerous challenges it holds for her. “This is a long-held ambition for me and with the excellent support team I have in place, I can’t wait to get going!”