Welcome Almost-Home Jeanne Socrates, Record Setting Circumnavigator!

Posted on by September 6, 2019

For the last several days, Jeanne Socrates has been within sight of the mountains of the Vancouver coast, tantalizingly close to completing her 4th circumnavigation, and, at 77, becoming the oldest person to sail around the world solo, unassisted and non-stop.

Just 20 nautical miles from the entrance of the Strait of Juan De Fuca, and less than 80 miles from her destination in Victoria, British, Columbia, she has been set back by contrary currents and a lack of wind. Weather forecasts suggest a northwesterly wind later today may yet allow her to make landfall in Victoria this evening.

She set sail from Victoria on October 3, 2018, on her 38′ long S/V Nereida, a Najad 380, and should return back to the dock in Victoria today, after roughly 340 days at sea. At the age of 77, she now holds the record for the oldest person to sail around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted.

Jeanne Socrates is a grandmother of three, originally from Ealing, West London. She didn’t start sailing until she was 50.  Prior to her most recent voyage around the world, she held the record as the oldest female to have circumnavigated the world single-handed, and the only woman to have circumnavigated solo nonstop from N. America. She was awarded the Cruising Club of America’s Blue Water Medal in 2013.

Comments

Welcome Almost-Home Jeanne Socrates, Record Setting Circumnavigator! — 13 Comments

  3. CONGRATULATIONS JEANNE SOCRATES TO YOUR MAGNIFICENT ACHIEVEMENT.
    YOU ARE AN INSPIRATION TO US.
    SO GLAD YOU HAD THE STRENGTH TO MEET HEAD ON WHATEVER SITUATION CAME YOUR WAY.
    Marianne Cardiff
    Qualicum Beach,BC

  4. Thank you for the update. I checked Vancouver news, which said she is dealing with damaged sails and powerful current. She limps close to Vancouver Island by day, but because of damaged sails she is pushed by the current, back out to sea at night. Her blog says she expects to make landfall on Wednesday of this week.

    A very courageous and knowledgable person.

  5. I was feeling kind of happy about sailing from Bellingham to Tatoosh Island and back, getting enough time on wind to “only” use 24 gallons of diesel. This while Socrates was trying to get in, only a few miles further out.

    But looking at S/V Nereida’s specs we see she carries 86 gallons of diesel in her tank plus “jerry cans in cockpit locker” of which there cannot be many. And I suppose there’s an adequate supply still left after nearly a year and N nm.

    True, we had crew who –had– to be back in port by a certain date and so we had to do some motor sailing early and plain old stinky noisy grinding for the entire final day but wow– we could do better. 🙂

  6. (btw sticking to the US side of the Strait is somewhat helpful w/current but I’m pretty sure Socrates is well aware of that)

  7. She going to be my Sea Goddess.Long life Jeanne Socrates.
    History makes.In life she is a remarkable woman .In the journey to achieving her higher passion she is a remarkable human being we ever have on earth or at less the most revered sailor we all rendered to love .thank you Jeanne for be the best ( British gene) in all circumstances. Calm.good sense of humor even in very bad severe weather, rough sea alone in this quest.We love you more than we can and thank you again. Well come home.Good trip Good landing.

  9. She’s finished at last, those last few miles drifting backwards and forwards with the tide in the shipping lanes for a couple of days must have been a nightmare. I wouldn’t blame her if she said ‘the celebrations will have to wait, I need to sleep!’