‘I’ve never thought about how old I was; sailing keeps me young’

Jeanne Socrates, 79, Hampshire, UK

Jeanne Socrates holds the record for being the oldest person to sail solo nonstop and unassisted around the world via the Five Great Capes

After my first solo, non-stop circumnavigation around the world in 2013, I was sitting there at the dock and one guy came up and said he was about to sell his boat as he thought he was getting too old. But after seeing what I’d just done at almost 71 years old, he changed his mind. I thought that was great.

My husband and I both learnt to sail at the same time. I first stepped into a dinghy when I was 48 and onto a yacht when I was 52. I just loved it. I’d initially thought yachting was going to be boring. But then I was given the chance to take a Competent Crew course; I did it just to make up the numbers, so the course could run. They wanted five minimum and there were only three signed up for it.

I thought it was going to be totally dull but I was very wrong – it was absolutely fantastic. My husband and I went on to take sailing courses as often as we could after that.

Being very curious by nature has made me adventurous, I’m always wanting to try new things. I took part in everything at school, I loved sports and swimming, and taught myself to dive at the local pool by getting a book out of the library.

I was pretty much born fatherless, because he was killed in the war when I was five weeks old. I never had a father until I was nine, when my mother married my fantastic stepfather. Before then, my mother needed help. Her mother had died when she was 16 and her two sisters had both married and moved away, so I spent five years in an orphanage, but at that point in time I was used to being by myself.

My first circumnavigation attempt happened after my husband had passed away from cancer. I felt like he had been cheated and by keeping on sailing I was sort of doing it for him as well. We had crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean in late 1999, so I was effectively already into a circumnavigation. I thought, “OK, where next?” After three years exploring the west coast of North America, I sailed west, intent on a quick trip around the world. For many casual cruisers, that often happens by default over several years.

Sailing allows you to get to know the culture of where you’re going. I’ve cruised through the tropics, through magical worlds, Bora Bora, Fiji and Tonga. I’ve been to little islands I didn’t know existed when crossing the Indian Ocean from Australia to South Africa. I’ve been up and down both the east and west coasts of North America, so I know them well. I’ve made countless friends in

the places I’ve stopped off in. I got stuck in Australia during the pandemic so I did a land circumnavigation of the country. Amazing. I’ve sailed the Southern Ocean several times – it’s a very special place. I was thousands of miles from anywhere within this awe-inspiring natural environment. It’s just the most wonderful feeling – just you and the ocean.

The first time I was in the middle of nowhere, it did get a bit critical. I was suddenly hit by a cold front; in the Southern Ocean that can happen quite violently. The wind suddenly changed from one direction to another and gusted way up. I had quite a problem on deck to deal with.

You have to learn to stay calm and get on with things when out in the elements, you can’t afford to let your feelings get the better of you. You have to squash them and just get on with what you have to do in order to survive.

I have a daughter and a son. Neither of them is a sailor, they just think I’m off doing my thing and probably think I’m a bit crazy. But I don’t think they worry any more. They know I’ve learned how to stay safe. You shouldn’t ever go into any situation that you’re

not prepared for. Take baby steps and you’ll gradually gain confidence. Once you have confidence you can go off and take the next step. And you’ll find you can actually cope.

The secret to being an older adventure traveller is never to think your body can’t keep up. I’ve never thought about the numbers. I’ve never thought about how old I was. Sailing keeps me young. There’s a lot of research that says the more you keep active, the more you can keep active. I chose what I wanted and I did it.

My next adventure is about to begin. I’m currently in British Columbia repairing my boat before sailing down to San Francisco to see friends and then heading to Mexico for the winter. I’ll sail to French Polynesia next April and then head across the Pacific to New Zealand and Australia – where there’s great cruising.

Jeanne Socrates welcomes donations for her RNLI fundraising. ‘Going Solo’, a book about her adventure travels, is due out next year; svnereida.com

i ‘Sailing keeps me young’: Jeanne had not set foot on a yacht until she was 52