Yachtswoman Dee Caffari, who sailed into the record books in May 2006 by becoming the first woman to sail solo, non-stop around the world against prevailing winds and tides, hopes to become the first woman to sail solo and non-stopbothways around the world. On Sunday (9 November) Dee will start the Vendee Globe, and if she finishes, will have another world first.

Caffari took 178 days to complete her first record-breaking voyage – known as the Aviva Challenge – but with a new generation, state-of-the-art Open 60, she will attempt to circumnavigate the globe in approximately 90 days.

“On Sunday, I’ll set sail against the best solo sailors in the world in my attempt to set a second world record. My boat Aviva has been prepared well and I’ve trained hard both physically and mentally to be in the best shape to take on this gruelling race,” explained Dee. “My number one goal is to bring Aviva home safely and sail into the history books again. The Vendée Globe is a notoriously tough and challenging race with history proving 40% of the fleet will fail to make the finish line but I’m feeling confident I can complete the double world first.”