SEAFARING pensioner Jeanne Socrates is just days away from sailing into the record books as she approaches the finish line of her round-the-world voyage.
The former maths teacher from Ealing has spent the last eight months or so by herself, navigating the most dangerous waters in the world in her third attempt to complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe.
She is due to arrive back at her starting point of Victoria, British Columbia by early July. If successful, she will be the oldest woman to have completed an unassisted non-stop trek around the world by herself.
But although the end is in sight, Mrs Socrates said she is still feeling apprehensive. Speaking to the Gazette via email, said: “I’m not feeling excited about landfall yet since the weather is causing me a major problem and making for very slow progress at the moment.
“When I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I am sure I will feel excited. It’s a bit like when I was about to round Cape Horn, I was not feeling particularly excited because I was very worried about the weather at the time, but so many other people were telling me how excited they were that once I made it around, I did feel a huge sense of excitement and achievement - I think this will be the same.
“I have to say it has been great for me to have had so many supportive emails from people in addition to the many amateur radio contacts on the way around.”
Mrs Socrates is also using her sailing to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Research. To find out more about her voyage and to keep up to date with the latest developments, visit www.svnereida.com
