With less than 125 km to go, Victoria’s record-breaking senior sailor came to a halt before her homecoming thanks to low winds.
For 11 months, Jeanne Socrates used her sailing vessel, Nereida, to travel around the world in an effort to break the world record as the oldest person to do so on a solo trip, unassisted and uninterrupted. Now at age 77, Socrates already holds the title as the oldest woman to do so after she did the same journey in 2013.
When Socrates took off from the Victoria Harbour on Oct. 3, 2018 her original plan was to embark on an eight-month journey, but wind, weather and boat repairs have put her a few months behind.
READ MORE: Senior sailor leaves Victoria to sail around the world — again
Now, on the brink of victory the winds have slowed down her journey once more.
“We’re going at a walking speed today,” Socrates said over her satellite phone, “We’re going 2.5 knots [3.7 km/h], so this could take two days.”
In the meantime, Socrates said she has a lot to do including repairs around Nereida, something she’s thankful for since she won’t be able to get much sleep until she arrives.
“I’ve got to stay awake because it’s so busy, and you never know when the fog will roll in,” she said.
READ MORE: Senior sailor en route to Victoria after near-disaster during trip around the world
Socrates expects to sail into the causeway dock in front of the Empress Hotel on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, touching land for the first time since she set sail.
Her first priorities, she told Black Press, will be to have a hot bath, a Caesar salad and a good glass of wine.
To keep up-to-date with Socrates you can follower her blog at svnereida.com
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