Jeanne Socrates record
British skipper Jeanne Socrates has claimed the record for the oldest person to sail solo around the world, non-stop and unassisted.
The 77-year-old returned to her home port of Victoria in British Columbia aboard her Najad 380, Nereida after 339 days at sea.
This was Socrates’ fourth attempt at the record; storms and broken gear forced her to return to port on two occasions in 2016, while another attempt in October 2017 had to be abandoned after she fell from a ladder while Nereida was on the hard, breaking several bones including a vertebrae and eight ribs.
Socrates successfully completed a solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation in July 2013 at the age of 70, becoming the oldest woman to complete such a voyage. It took her nearly 259 days, significantly shorter than her recent circumnavigation, which over-ran by three months due to breakages and weather. Socrates said that while she had prepared for some gear failure, she hadn’t expected quite so much to go wrong.
‘I thought I was sailing the boat better than my previous circumnavigation, especially down the Pacific. But I got really badly becalmed. It was the weather and the gear failure which really slowed me down,’ she said.
Socrates left Victoria on 3 October 2018, rounding Cape Horn on 18 December and the Cape of Good Hope on 13 February 2019 after being delayed due to several Southern Ocean storms and a badly torn mainsail. Nereida was knocked down on 15 May as she headed towards South Cape, off New Zealand’s Stewart Island. It left the yacht without wind and solar charging capabilities; the solar panels were washed away, although Socrates had spare blades for the generator which she repaired to give her power after stopping in Timaru Harbour in New Zealand. Under non-stop and unassisted rules, Socrates could moor or anchor as long as she didn’t touch land or seek assistance.
She also had to deal with cockpit instruments going down, no radar, generator and related battery charging problems, a shredded genoa, as well as further repairs to her mainsail and rivets coming undone on the kicker at the mast which required lashing, along with the boom, to the mast with Dyneema.
Although solo, Socrates said she didn’t feel lonely due to daily contact with other cruisers and radio operators via Single Side Band (SSB) radio and the emails of support she received. Like her original recordbreaking circumnavigation, light winds meant it took days for Socrates to enter the Juan de Fuca Strait to Victoria Harbour. She also had to repair a frayed steering cable, patching it up with cable ties. She crossed the finish line at Ogden Point Breakwater on 7 September, greeted by a flotilla of boats from the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and crowds to witness her homecoming.
‘There were so many hooters I wasn't sure when I actually crossed,’ she said. ‘I was amazed that so many people waited for me to come in. I felt honoured the fire boat had been sent out to welcome me.’
Socrates now plans to make repairs to Nereida before flying to Australia early next year for a holiday.
She has also ruled out another record attempt.
‘I don’t regret doing it but this is it, definitely. I now want to relax and go cruising to meet up with friends and go to nice places which is what sailing is really all about,’ added Socrates. The previous oldest solo skipper to sail around the world non-stop and unassisted was British sailor Tony Curphey, 74, who completed the Longue Route on 27 April 2019.