10:07 AM Wed 17 Mar 2010 GMT 'Dee Caffari - Copyright onEdition' . Click Here to view large photo Britain's Dee Caffari and Spain's Anna Corbella have confirmed their entry in the Barcelona World Race as the GAES Solidaria Team and will join the fleet on the start line on the 31st December 2010. Following the successful sponsorship of the Spanish Mini Class sailor in the recent Transat 6.50/ La Rochelle - Salvador de Bahia, Barcelona's GAES Hearing Centres are venturing further into the world of top-level ocean racing, by entering the first all female crew of the race. Anna Corbella and Dee Caffari started their training by delivering Dee's Open 60, the former Aviva, from England to Spain last week. This Owen Clarke Design, built in New-Zealand by Hakes Marine and launched in January 2008 is sister-ship to Mike Golding's Ecover and has already proved her reliability and potential by finishing all the races she entered in the top 10! Antonio Gass?, Managing Director and CEO of GAES, speaking about their support of the first all-female crew to enter the Barcelona World Race said: 'Our sponsorship is a further commitment to the company's relationship with the world of sport and reinforces company values such as teamwork, overcoming adversity and the power of effort'. The GAES support of sailing began in 2007 following the development of a sophisticated and unique onboard communication system for the only Spanish entry in the 2007 America's Cup, the Desaf?o Espa?ol. According to Antonio Gass?, the new sponsorship has come about at a time when the company is not only showing support for sport and the natural environment, but also for an entirely female crew, the first to take part in this competition, hosted by Barcelona, the city where the GAES headquarters are situated and the city where the company came to life, over sixty years ago. Anna Corbella has on many occasions expressed that one of her ambitions was to take part in the Barcelona World Race and she has been involved in the technical and logistical preparation of other IMOCA Open 60 projects such as Pakea Bizkaia and Educaci?n sin Fronteras. The skipper from Barcelona is about to make her dreams come true, and hopes to learn from another extraordinary yachtswoman. The Catalan sailor declared: 'This is my first round the world race, so I'm very excited about facing the challenge. I'm sure this project's going to go very well, as we are all very excited about it'. Corbella added: 'For both Dee and myself, it's a great challenge to be the only female team, to be able to compete on equal terms and to prove that out at sea, in extreme conditions, there is no difference between the sexes. We are a strong and very good team'. Record setting solo British yachtswoman, Dee Caffari, said: 'I am really excited about taking part in the Barcelona World Race with Anna later in the year and look forward to collaborating with our sponsor for the race, GAES Solidaria. I am also delighted to have the continued support of Aviva as Founding Partner of my ocean racing campaign and am sure that competing in a race that takes me back down into the Southern Ocean will give me an edge for my ultimate goal of competing in the Vend?e Globe 2012. In four years as her title sponsor, Aviva supported Dee Caffari to three world records including becoming the first woman to sail solo, non stop, around the world in both directions. As Founding Partner, Aviva is proud to remain a member of the team behind Dee Caffari's 2012/13 Vend?e Globe campaign. http://www.deecaffari.co.uk/ by Jo Uffendell

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