Wave-weary Jeanne Socrates will have to take a time-out in her quest to become the oldest person to sail around the world without touching land.
The 74-year-old English sailor has started her journey twice from Victoria this fall, and has been stymied by fierce weather both times.
On Saturday, plagued by equipment damage, she declared an end to her journey and headed for San Diego, 300 nautical miles away, for repairs, arriving on Monday afternoon. She had been heading for the tip of South America.
On her online log, she said that she made “a painful but unavoidable decision” after problems mounted. “Feeling very disheartened and sad,” she wrote. “So many people have been so supportive and helpful in so many ways, for which I am deeply appreciative.”
A small engine called the genset that charges a boat’s batteries was giving her problems along with the gooseneck, where the mast and boom connect, said her friend, Victoria resident Charlotte Gann. “The gooseneck has been working loose and it is slowly breaking,” something that Socrates was unable to resolve.
Socrates originally set out from Victoria Oct. 19 but turned back after her boat was damaged in a storm. She was off again Nov. 13, only to run into more storms.
Already recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest female sailor to complete a non-stop, solo circumnavigation of the world, she wanted to beat the oldest male recorder holder, who was 71.
It’s impossible for Socrates, a retired mathematics professor, to try the journey again this year, said Victoria sailor Simon Walker, a veteran of sailing the Hawaii-Victoria route.
It is crucial to reach Cape Horn in the South American summer and “the window is over,” said Walker, who saw Socrates off from Victoria.
There is no doubt about Socrates’ gutsiness and bravery, Walker said. “She’s very determined and has a very intelligent approach to this. ... She is tackling a monumental task. She’s been out there in unbelievably tough conditions.”
Gann said another attempt could be in Socrates’ future. “I know she won’t give up.”
She said Socrates has been beset with more than her share of bad luck. “It’s just rolling over her, over and over again,” she said. “It’s just been a constant. It’s been a really snarly year offshore.”
Gann said Socrates decided to head out at the times she did because there appeared to be gaps in heavy storm activity. “You typically try to find a window to leave Victoria where you’re going to have at least five days.”
The idea is to get through Juan de Fuca Strait and down the Oregon coast while the weather holds, Gann said.
She said some would choose to go earlier, but Socrates had to factor in current since the rules governing her trip did not allow the use of motors. “Because she’s only sailing, she has to count on the current,” Gann said. “That’s why she was choosing dates where the tides were going to push her out the strait, effectively.” Whatever happens next, Socrates and her boat will stay together, Gann said. “Nereida, her boat, is her home. She’ll take her home where she is going.”
The boat is named after the nereids, the mythical hand maidens of Poseidon, Greek god of the sea.
“My best guess is two things will happen,” Gann said. “She’ll fly back to Victoria for a short period to pick up some of her gear and to connect with some of us, her friends.
“Then she’ll fly back down to San Diego and she’ll probably [sail] her boat to Mexico for the winter, where she has tonnes of friends.”
Gann said she has great admiration for Socrates, who bought her first sailboat with late husband, George, in 1997. “She’s an amazing woman.”
Minoru Saito of Japan is the oldest person recognized as having accomplished the feat, doing so at the age of 71 in 2005.
A voyage with the specifications Socrates must meet has to include sailing down the coasts of the United States and South America before rounding Cape Horn.
