ADVENTURE ADVENTURE

ADVENTURE 77 AND SOLO NON-STOP AROUND THE WORLD Jeanne Socrates battled equipment failure during her record . She tells Katy Stickland how she overcame adversity

Words Katy Stickland Photos Jeanne Socrates & James Holkko

he further I got, the less likely A former maths and science teacher, Socrates it was that I’d give up,’ explained starting aged 48, with her late husband, 77-year-old Jeanne Socrates, George. She qualified as a Yachtmaster Ocean after ‘Not that I was ever likely to, the couple had retired early to cruise extensively if I could help it!’ in their Najad 361, Nereida, before George was Sailing non-stop around the diagnosed with cancer, eventually losing his battle world solo and without assistance in 2003. Alone, Socrates continued their cruising pushes the limits of any sailor. dreams, first sailing solo in July 2003 to spread Throw endless equipment failure into the mix and George’s ashes at sea. Three years later she raced in T you‘ begin to understand what a special kind of sailor the 2006 Singlehanded TransPac from San Francisco Socrates is. Resourceful, yes. Determined, definitely. to Hawaii before her first solo round the world During 339 days at sea in her Najad 380, Nereida, voyage in 2007-08, which ended in disaster when the British skipper, who now holds the record for the Nereida ran aground on a beach north of Acapulco oldest person to sail solo around the world non-stop in Mexico, less than 60 miles short of the finish at the and unassisted, had to endure periods becalmed and port of Zihuatanejo. Unfazed, she commissioned her problems with many of her instruments, including cutter-rigged Najad 380, also named Nereida, and the chartplotter and autopilot. Broken reefing lines two years later started her first non-stop attempt Museum of BC James Holkko/Maritime and lazyjacks, badly damaged windvane steering, around the world, which ended in Town due to and a shredded genoa also had to be RIGHT: Jeanne rigging and other issues. A knockdown off overcome, as well as a badly torn mainsail spent 339 days put paid to her second attempt, which took months to repair. While some alone at sea, four causing her to stop in Argentina to make might balk at these sorts of trials, Socrates months longer than repairs, although she continued sailing, seems to thrive on them, even though they she expected due circumnavigating via the Five Great Capes of to weather and added four months to her voyage. gear failure the – Cape Horn, Cape of ‘The challenge of managing to keep the Good Hope, , South East Cape boat going all the way around successfully INSET: Waving of and the South Cape of Stewart and dealing with any number of unknown to her fans as she . Her third successful attempt took 258 arrives back at problems that were sure to crop up – that her start port of days and earned her the world record title in was the attraction, with the record resulting , British 2013 of the oldest woman to sail single-

James Holkko/Maritime Museum of BC James Holkko/Maritime from my age being by-the-by,’ she explained. Columbia handedly around the world. She was 70.

20 www.yachtingmonthly.com www.yachtingmonthly.com 21 ADVENTURE ADVENTURE

CANADA Victoria, North N Pacific British Columbia Ocean USA

SOUTH South Atlantic Ocean Cape Leeuwin South NEW Pacific Ocean Cape of TASMANIA ZEALAND Good Hope Stewart I. Timaru Cape Horn 0 3,000nm

Three years later, and she was ready to do it all over again, although it would once again take several attempts. Storms and broken gear ended two attempts in 2016. A fall from a ladder while Nereida was on the hard ended plans until 2018 while Socrates recovered from a broken neck and 11 ribs. So why make a fourth attempt? ‘I really wanted to experience the Southern Ocean again; it is a very special, remote place with wonderful, though sadly threatened, birdlife. I also wanted to make some long ocean passages again as I had missed those over the years since my last record attempt. A friend pointed out that if I went around solo now, I’d become the oldest person, rather than the oldest woman, to do so,’ is her reply.

THE BEST LAID PLANS Prior to leaving, she removed the bunk

bedding and cushions from the forepeak Jeanne Socrates and aft cabin bunks to improve access to the batteries, computer and compass, steering quadrant, and wiring – a move ‘I felt I had a guardian demon ABOVE: Jeanne Socrates also wrestled with Nereida’s sails. LEFT: The that was to prove prudent. The two-part on this trip rather than a guardian found there were She went for months without a mainsail while sailing gooseneck mast companionway washboards were angel as everything that could more stormy the Southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans, after it fitting lashed to weather systems the mast to prevent Jeanne Socrates replaced with a well-sealed one-piece possibly go wrong with the boat and frequent deep ripped badly while hove-to in strong winds in it following the Lexan panel, which improved light down and the weather did,’ she noted. lows compared to January off the Falkland . A length along kicker strut below and visibility. A clear, zippered The problems started early on. her 2013 voyage the leech was torn and had separated from the Jeanne Socrates storm screen was attached to the underside of the Seven weeks into her voyage, in the middle of the body of the sail between the top two battens. It would later need further repairs, with tears lower BELOW: Jeanne LEFT INSET: The often hoved to hard top over the companionway to give Socrates South Pacific,Nereida ’s boom kicker strut came boom kicker strut ‘I’d not expected my mainsail to tear as it did, down the sail being repaired with Gorilla tape while in order to avoid protection from the elements. Sections of running away. Having removed the remaining protruding came away and probably due to the many times I’d heaved-to to keep making her way back up the Pacific. The repairs held the worst of the rigging were also replaced. The main sail, new in rivets with a hammer, Socrates decided to lash the had to be lashed safe. It would have been useful to have learned how well enough for her to complete her circumnavigation weather, here 2016, was reinforced with batten pockets, and she strut baseplate around the mast using Spectra line. to the mast to sew and repair sails and to have had more sail at Victoria, British Columbia in early September. off the Falkland carried plenty of spare rope for sheets, reefing lines She then noticed the gooseneck mast fitting was in repair material available, along with a good flexible She didn’t have much better luck with her Islands, NE of BELOW LEFT: Cape Horn and braided Spectra, as well as a spare vane cover the same state and so lashed that to the mast too. Like her 2013 adhesive,’ reflected Socrates. genoa, which she nearly lost overboard off the and rudder for her Hydrovane steering. Without a working gas-strut on the vang, with the circumnavigation, South American coast two months into her She admits that while she had prepared for some mainsail either reefed or down, the boom was hitting Jeanne removed MISFORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE circumnavigation, after the end of the furling gear failure she hadn’t expected so much to go wrong. the bimini metal work, so Socrates added a topping the bunk bedding Realising she was unable to remove the sail from line became disconnected from its drum. and cushions from lift to the end of the boom though that also later the forepeak to the mast to take it down below for repairs, she tried ‘The big headsail rapidly unfurled itself and began parted after rough conditions in the Southern Ocean, improve access to work on the sail in situ on the boom, but the madly flapping in the wind, with its sheets lashing so she then had to use the spinnaker halyard instead. perpetual swell made it difficult. She initially used out at everything around. Gorilla tape, but soon decided it would probably give It was a nightmare. I heaved way in strong conditions so she continued without to and pulled in on the her main and pondered on a better plan for repair. upwind genoa sheet to keep Her lack of mainsail slowed Socrates down, with the as much of the sail inboard I felt I had a guardian threat of winter getting closer and weather patterns as possible. The problem changing for the worst as she sailed on. with getting it down was that demon on this trip rather than a Two months later, when conditions had finally it could all end up being improved, she removed the sail slides from the track blown into the sea,’ recalled guardian angel as everything that and managed to bring the 9ft section down onto the Socrates. Out on deck, she deck to sew. It was a long job, and it wasn’t until released the halyard bit by

Michael Robertson could possibly go wrong did 25 May that she finally raised her main sail again. bit, going forward in Jeanne Socrates

22 www.yachtingmonthly.com www.yachtingmonthly.com 23 Tony Curphey Bill Rowntree/PPL 24 ADVENTURE and a triple non-stop solo circumnavigation in 1986-88 and atriplenon-stop solocircumnavigationin1986-88 circumnavigation viatheSouthernOceanin1981-82 has completedadoublenon-stop solowest-to-east around theglobe, Australian skipper, JonSanders,80, Currently preparingforhis11thsolo circumnavigation Jon Sanders steel-hulled cutter-riggedsloop, circumnavigation attheageof71inhis56ft1989 unassisted titlein2005,followinghisseventh person tosailaroundtheworldnon-stopand The Japaneseoffshoresailorclaimedtheoldest Ocean inher37ftyacht around theworldviaFiveCapesofSouthern the firstwomantosailsolo, unassistedandnon-stop In June1988,Australian skipper, Kay Cottee, became Kay Cottee World Race in2011. finishing the08/09Vendée Globe and the Barcelona circumnavigated theglobe, non-stop, threetimesafter Caffari wentontobecometheonlywomanhave currents. Ittookher178daysin73ftyacht prevailing windsand the worldagainst and non-stoparound first womantosailsolo footsteps, becomingthe followed inSirChay’s In May2006,DeeCaffari Dee Caffari 292 dayslater. from Southamptonon18October1970, returning latitudes, aboardhis59ftketch, around theworldeasttowestinhighsouthern Chay Blyth,becamethefirstpersontosailnon-stop A former1968-69GoldenGlobeRace entrant,Sir Sir ChayBlyth 10 monthsafterleavingPlymouthinhisketch, around theworldbeforemakinglandfallinTahiti, Moitessier, endedupsailingone-and-a-halftimes others tooffshoreadventure some ofthesoloskipperswhohaveinspired There aremanytochoosefrombutherejust CIRCUMNAVIGATORS\ NOTABLE SOLO NON-STOP www.yachtingmonthly.com Minoru Saitō non-stop aroundtheworldin308days. Nicholson 32, completed TheLongue Route inhis In April,Tony Curphey(pictured),74, Tony Curphey Golden GlobeRace. only winneroftheSundayTimes 22 April1969(pictured)asthe returning on his Bermudaketch, Falmouth on14June1968aboard Robin Knox-Johnston sailedfrom non-stop aroundtheworld,Sir The firstsolosailortosail Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Fellow competitor, Bernard Blackmores FirstLady Nicola Deux British Steel Shuten-dohji II

, sailing solo and , sailingsoloand Suhaili . He left . Heleft

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Jeanne Socrates wet, but it was great to be underway again and sailing again. ‘It was all very tiring and I was soaking Nereida’ took hours, not helped by the seas washing over winched the sail back onto the boat, a process which becoming tangled. After attaching further lines, she lashings so she could bring the genoa in without it fairly constant 18-20 knots, she sorted out her continue sailing. Two days later, with the wind at a to retrieve with all the seawater it held. some of it ended up in the sea, becoming impossible fading, she managed to get most of it in, although lashing it down with line and sail ties. With daylight between to grab as much of the sail as possible and Jeanne Socrates headache, and could have been ‘show stoppers’ juice and a good slug of gin. sundowner made with the last of her precious mango birthday, indulging in a rare shower and enjoying a Two days earlier, Socrates had celebrated her 77th edges (leech and foot) to come undone,’ she explains. the foil for the material that was torn away from the from the forestay. It was too tangled in place around using wrapped around the forestay, Socrates continued in mid August left it shredded. Well and truly The genoa served her well until a Pacific storm SOLO BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS AT SEA without it ending back in the sea!’ it was hoisted on to the forestay foil and furled up – lashings, get the genoa off the deck and untwist it as ‘Not until 7 January was it possible to undo the brilliant that the plan worked so well,’ she recalled. Instruments and batteries were another big ‘It was impossible to unfurl the tattered genoa Without all of the sail on deck, she also couldn’t Nereida s deck. Once safely stowed, Socrates started ’s storm jib on the inner forestay.

361, loss ofherNajad Mexico withthe 2008: disasterin BELOW: June to contendwith breakages shehad endless gear moment withthe sailing –arare Enjoying offshore ABOVE LEFT: assistance the worldwithout non-stop around person tosailsolo become theoldest fourth attemptto This wasJeanne’s ABOVE RIGHT: Nereida

James Holkko/Maritime Museum of BC I was able,I was by approaching the problems and calmly logically, disconnecting each battery and sulphated, a problem solved by land or seek assistance. anchor as long as she didn’t touch unassisted rules, she could moor or . Under non-stop and Stewart Island forced her to stop in 8m seas on 15 May on approach to knockdown in 45 knot winds and the battery charging issues after a with friends,’ she says. on board and also by discussions by having certain spares and cable and autopilot challenges, helped to overcome the instrumentation the problems calmly and logically, left her windvane irreparably damaged. This was essential after a storm in April off Australia batteries to run the water maker and her autopilot. repairs just after Easter. She needed well-charged might have to stop at Melbourne, Australia, to make were not charging properly and she thought she autopilot on occasions. At the same time the batteries any instruments at all for parts of her voyage, and no to cause problems later on, leaving Socrates without thorough clean got it working again, although it was tripped several times early in the voyage, but a for the circumnavigation. The plotter circuit breaker to overcometo the instrumentation and autopilot challenges The batteries were badly She had time to focus on solving ‘Fortunately, one by one I was able, by approaching

charging it at high voltage via a small generator. female solo skippers, many do not sail long distances. she is perhaps ‘unusual’ as although there are many she has ruled out another record attempt. She thinks on 23 July before dodging tropical storms off Hawaii. crossing the Equator into the Northern Hemisphere tailing winches as she sailed back up the Pacific, Instead, she had to make the most of place of a winch handle, making sail handling easier. modified drill, which had been adapted to work in It is telling of Socrates that the final entry on her Socrates doesn’t see her age as a barrier, although The knockdown also left her without her specially lifeline to the outside world. Band (SSB) radio network, her with members of the Single Side the warm friendships she’s forged rounding each of the Five Capes and sunrises, sightings of albatross, experiencing the joy of ocean gear breakages, but also enduring knockdowns, calms and 27,911 miles around the world, is her philosophy, having just sailed the most of make it’. That precious, is circumnavigation blog is titled ‘Life most of it’. A lesson for us all, perhaps. Socrates will continue to ‘make the Polynesia at her own pace, it seems cruise to the likes of Fiji and With plans to refit Nereida Nereida ’s self- and www.yachtingmonthly.com for herfeat Cruising Club from theOcean LEFT: Recognition

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