Nereida Over Halfway Around

On March 1, 70-year-old Briton Jeanne Socrates passed the midway point of what she hopes will be her first nonstop solo circumnavigation aboard her Najad 380 Nereida. Socrates has attempted the feat twice before, the first time ended in Cape Town with engine (i.e. charging) problems, and the second ended when Nereida sustained considerable damage during a knock-down at Cape Horn. 

Nereida sailed out of Victoria, BC on October 22, with record-setting solo circumnavigator Tony Gooch marking her time for the World Sailing Speed Record Council. If she completes the circuit, Socrates will become the first woman to do so with a starting point in North America. "It will also give me the dubious honor of being the oldest female solo, nonstop circumnavigator," she noted. "But far more importantly, it will give me a great sense of achievement and personal satisfaction."

Though she’s dealt with all conditions on this trip, unsettled and varied conditions around the Cape of Good Hope was frustrating. "Rounding South Africa became surprisingly difficult," she said. "Several times either being becalmed or needing to heave-to in very strong conditions slowed my progress, so it’s taken longer than expected to reach the halfway point."

Gear breakages have not been insurmountable problems, though she says they do hinder her progress in light conditions. "I can no longer safely hoist a full mainsail and need to keep it permanently reefed, but having it down to the third reef in the Southern Ocean is not a problem!"

As of yesterday, Nereida was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, on her way toward Cape Leeuwin, and reports light wind. She hopes to sail back into Victoria sometime in June. Keep track of her progress at www.svnereida.com.