British solo yachtswoman, Dee Caffari, has announced that her new generation Open 60 Aviva will have two celebrity ‘Godparents’ to watch over her ocean racing campaign: Briton Lady Pippa Blake, widow of sailor and adventurer Sir Peter Blake, and French newsreader Patrick Poivre d’Arvor (or PPDA), official starter of the Vendée Globe 2008/09. Both will be supporting Caffari as she aims to become the first woman to sail solo non-stop around the world in both directions by completing the Vendée Globe 2008/09.

Caffari commented: “I am honoured that two such esteemed people are lending their support. It means so much to me that Lady Pippa Blake is to be Aviva’s Godmother, as I have always regarded both her and her late husband as truly inspirational people. It is also a great privilege as an English skipper to have the support of ‘PPDA’. The French public have embraced the sport of off-shore sailing and it’s a fantastic feeling to know that such a prestigious French personality is supporting us.”