Jeanne Socrates Explained

Jeanne Socrates (born 17 August 1942) is a British yachtswoman.[1] She is from Lymington. She holds the record as the oldest female to have circumnavigated the world single-handed,[2] and she is the only woman to have circumnavigated solo nonstop from North America.[3] She was awarded the Cruising Club of America's Blue Water Medal[4] and the Royal Cruising Club Medal for Seamanship in 2013.[5] In 2013, she was awarded the Ocean Cruising Club's premier award, the Barton Cup, and was elected Honorary Member of the OCC in 2020.[6]

On 28 September 2017, after major injuries due to a fall from a ladder while working on her yacht Nereida, a 38-foot Najad 380, she postponed a planned attempt to gain the record as the oldest circumnavigator of either sex, then held by Japanese Minoru Saitō who sailed round the world in 2005 at the age of 71.[7]

On 3 October 2018, Socrates started on her latest attempt to circumnavigate the world singlehandedly,[8] and was the oldest person ever to solo circumnavigate non-stop when she completed her voyage on 7 September 2019.[9] On 22 February 2020 she lost this record when the 81-year-old Bill Hatfield completed his solo non-stop circumnavigation,[10] but because Hatfield did not pass south of New Zealand or Tasmania, Socrates remains the oldest person to have sailed round the world "singlehandedly, unassisted and non-stop via the Five Great Capes".[11] [12]

In November 2019 the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, named the inner harbour commercial dock in Victoria Harbour, which typically handles a million visitors a year, as the "Jeanne Socrates Dock" in honour of her circumnavigation, which departed and arrived at that harbour.[13] [14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Copeland. Lisa. Shipwreck, Recovery, Inspiration. https://web.archive.org/web/20150724173600/https://www.cruisingworld.com/shipwreck-recovery-inspiration. dead. 24 July 2015. Cruising World. 1 May 2018. 29 November 2010.
  2. News: Knudsen. Nancy. Sailor Jeanne Socrates, world's oldest non-stop female circumnavigator. 1 May 2018. Sail-World. 9 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20180415140446/https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Sailor-Jeanne-Socrates,-worlds-oldest-non-stop-female-circumnavigator/-111746?source=google.mx. 15 April 2018.
  3. Web site: Loibner . Dieter . Iron Woman . 2022-07-10 . Soundings Online . 30 January 2014 . en-us.
  4. Web site: 2013 Blue Water Medal to Jeanne Socrates. Cruising Club of America. 1 May 2018. 1 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180501224721/https://www.cruisingclub.org/awards/bluewater/2013/socrates. live.
  5. Web site: RCC Open Awards - Previous Prizewinners . www.rcc.org.uk . 16 March 2021 . 20 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210120093924/https://www.rcc.org.uk/previousprizewinners.aspx . live .
  6. Web site: Honorary Members . www.oceancruisingclub.org . . 27 September 2023.
  7. News: Stickland. Katy. Jeanne Socrates forced to abandon record attempt after a fall. 1 May 2018. Yachting and Boating World. 2 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180219055452/http://www.ybw.com/news-from-yachting-boating-world/fourth-time-round-for-75-year-old-jeanne-socrates-60323. 19 February 2018.
  8. News: Bell . Jeff . Times Colonist . 30 September 2018 . Solo sailor, 76, ready for another attempt at round-the-world journey . 24 December 2019 . 17 February 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190217142307/https://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/solo-sailor-76-ready-for-another-attempt-at-round-the-world-journey-1.23447043 . live .
  9. Web site: Victoria woman claims solo sailing record. Kelly. Alanna. 7 September 2019. CTV News. en. 2019-09-08. 2019-09-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20190908230853/https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/victoria-woman-claims-solo-sailing-record-1.4583113. live.
  10. Web site: Oldest person to sail around the world (solo and non-stop) . Guinness World Records . 22 February 2020 . 7 February 2021 . 26 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201126014145/https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/oldest-person-to-sail-around-the-world-%28solo-and-non-stop%29 . live .
  11. Stickland . Katy . Jeanne Socrates: 77 & solo non-stop around the world . Yachting Monthly . 17 May 2020 . 16 March 2021 . 8 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210308185106/https://www.yachtingmonthly.com/cruising-life/jeanne-socrates-77-and-solo-non-stop-around-the-world-72022 . live .
  12. Web site: The good, the incredible, and the brilliant - Bill Hatfield and Jeanne Socrates . 2022-07-21 . www.sailworldcruising.com.
  13. Web site: 2019-11-21 . Inner Harbour dock named after Victoria sailor Jeanne Socrates . 2022-07-19 . CHEK . en-CA.
  14. Web site: Victoria dock named in honour of round-the-world sailor Jeanne Socrates . 2022-07-19 . Victoria Times Colonist . 22 November 2019 . en.