records at county championships. I really enjoyed helping those kids to achieve something they’d thought impossible.” Ultimately she became the manager of a Sports College in
Dorset where everything from health and safety to discipline and counselling came under her watchful eye. I suggest that it is her management skills as much as her prowess as a yachtswoman which must impress her sponsors. “I’ve noticed that it’s one thing to have a sporting ability, but another to communicate clearly. I’ve no doubt that my experiences in teaching have been useful in my current career and taught me to rise to any challenge.” After five years in teaching, at the age of 26, Dee felt it was
time for a change. The marine industry was naturally a fertile area for her to explore. After qualifying as a windsurfing instructor in Barbados, she came back to the UK and secured a job with Mike Golding Yacht Racing. “I was employed as the dogsbody who did everything from scrub the decks to serve drinks. Fortunately, by the end of my first season, I was promoted to skipper and gained invaluable racing experience in the Caribbean [where she met her partner and coach Harry Spedding] and taking part in the Fastnet.” But it was back in Southampton that she experienced her
damascene moment. “I can clearly remember the BT Global Challenge yachts coming back into port. There was a huge party with fireworks and music and I thought, ‘they’ve just been round the world!’ The concept was awesome and I realised I’d love to celebrate a similar personal achievement.” After gaining further competitive experience, she became
the first woman skipper to complete the Global Round the World Race. This was not without drama. “Essentially I was in charge of a crew consisting of seventeen paying guests, all of which are doing the race for different reasons. At times team management proved to be as challenging as the conditions. Also, when we were fifteen hundred miles from land in the Southern Ocean, a crew member developed a perforated bowel. It took nine days sailing, during which it was touch and go for him, before we were in a position to have him airlifted to safety in New Zealand. Fortunately he made an excellent recovery but it was a nerve- wracking situation. I remember thinking, at least if I sail alone, I’d only have myself to worry about.”
24 YACHTWORLD.COM SepTeMbeR 2010
Armed with this thought she embarked on her solo challenge.
Obviously the highlight of her voyage was arriving home. What about the lows? “Icebergs weren’t fun. I spent three days trying to find my way through mountains of ice. I couldn’t sleep or eat and my emotional state was fairly raw. But my lowest ebb came about a week from Cape Horn. Serious problems with the autopilot were threatening to jeopardize the entire project. While my shore team in Plymouth wracked their brains, I was left helpless on board. Finally, following their instructions, I removed gas pipes from the stove and re-fitted them and the problem was solved. When I first heard the idea, I thought ‘You want me to do what?’ But I had to trust them and ultimately they came up trumps.” So what’s motivating her do it all again? “I know it seems odd,” she laughs, “and I may well come back from the next round the world voyage saying ‘never again’. But whilst I’m loving it with a passion and can share it with others, I want to carry on. I’m honoured to have this opportunity to inspire other people. If I can encourage the public to understand that sailing is a sport which can be enjoyed by everyone at any level, I’d be happy. And as sailing is one of the best Olympic sports we have, I’m
certainly looking forward to 2012. Currently, I’m looking for a new title sponsor to help fund my ambition to compete in the 2012/13 Vendée Globe which and that’s a different sort of challenge.” But before that there’s the Barcelona Yacht Race. Racing
onboard GAES Centros Auditivos with Spanish co-skipper, Anna Corbella, they will be the only all-female crew taking part in the race that leaves Barcelona on 31st December 2010. Dee is not only a welcome ambassador for women in sport but sport in general. But sadly, there is one person who cannot share in her future joys and triumphs. “Dad was always such an inspiration to me and I miss him dreadfully. I always remember him saying to me ‘well, are you going to talk about these things or do them?’ And that’s my motto; ‘make the decision and make it happen’. Whatever adversity I may encounter, whatever challenge I may take, Dad’s words will always be there to spur me on.”
To find out more about Dee and her future voyages –
www.dee
Caffari.co.uk
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