AN INTREPID pensioner from Ealing looks set to sail into the history books after completing a major leg of an epic solo circumnavigation of the globe.
Jeanne Socrates, who turned 70 this month, is already the oldest woman to sail solo around the world.
She arrived safely at Victoria, British Columbia, on August 1, after sailing alone via the five great capes of the Southern Ocean – another first.
And all this will be a warm-up for what could be her greatest achievement, a non-stop trek around the globe which she hopes to begin in October.
Mrs Socrates, who took up boating after her husband died from cancer is sailing on her 38-foot vessel Nereida and has been trying, through her solo sailing, to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
She met the Queen and Prince Philip during a visit to the UK in December and January and also received an award from the Cruising Association.
Staying in contact with the Gazette via email, she said: “I felt decidedly cheated when I was knocked down in January last year while trying to play safe by heaving-to in bad weather before rounding Cape Horn.
“If that hadn’t happened, I’m convinced I’d have completed my non-stop attempt by May or June of last year so I’m going to give it one last try. If that doesn’t work out, it clearly wasn’t meant to be and I’ll go back to relaxed cruising in the company of friends.”
You can follow her progress online at www.svnereida.com.
