Sailing onboard the “Aviva” Dee Caffari crossed the official finish line at 17:55:42 (BST) on 18 May 2006, demonstrating the dedicated and unwavering spirit that is the hallmark of the worldwide Aviva Insurance Group of which Eagle Insurance is now proud to be part of. “Caffari’s achievement is an inspiring reflection of how Aviva strives relentlessly to go the extra-mile to serve their customers better and to offer them the best and most innovative in products and services” commented Amal Perera, Head of Marketing & Planning - Eagle Insurance. “As an Aviva company Eagle is proud to have been part of the team behind this magnificent solo performance” he added. Yachtswoman Dee Caffari, 33, has triumphed over extreme isolation, lethal icebergs, mountainous waves, vicious storms and hurricane force winds to set a new world record as the first woman to sail round the world solo, non-stop against the prevailing winds and currents.

Caffari's record-breaking 29,100 mile voyage lasted 178 days, 3 hours, 6 minutes and 15 seconds. She crossed the official finish line in sight of the observer from the World Sailing Speed Record Council off Lizard Point, UK, and completed a passage which ensures her a place in maritime history.

"When I crossed the line I was overwhelmed with emotion, it was the proudest moment of my life and becoming the first woman to complete this voyage is a great honour. I have been dreaming about this moment since the idea was first born, visualising it when things got tough and thinking about how it would feel, and when I did it a huge wave of relief and happiness washed over me," said Caffari.

"It was a voyage of absolute extremes, and it pushed my limits further than I had imagined. There were times when I couldn't see an end to it and I questioned whether I could do it. One of the hardest things was the mental challenge of dealing with it all on my own, but the support from my shore team and the outstanding performance of the yacht helped me bounce back when it got really tough. Now I'm physically and mentally exhausted but I don't think I've ever been happier and I can't wait to celebrate the achievement surrounded by family and friends!"

Sailing round the world against the prevailing winds and currents has been so hard because the elements were literally against Caffari for much of the voyage. The straight-line course around the world from east to west is approximately 24,500, but Caffari was forced to sail an extra 4600 miles, illustrating the difficulty of sailing upwind and the need to regularly change course to avoid dangerous storms.

This has been another Aviva CSR endeavour. Aviva recognizes its corporate social responsibility commitments in its different roles as investor, insurer, employer and consumer. CSR covers the Groups’ performance in respect of the environment, human rights, health and safety, standards of business conduct and relations with customers, workforce, suppliers and the community.

Eagle is now an Aviva Company which is the world’s oldest insurance group, with a history dating back 300 years to 1696. Today Aviva is the world’s sixth-largest insurance group and the biggest in the UK. The Group has 60,000 employees serving 30 million customers in over 25 countries with more than Sterling Pounds 290 billion assets under management.