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Socrates Solo Circumnavigates Again

Last Wednesday, August 1, Jeanne Socrates returned to Victoria, BC aboard her Najad 380 Nereida, completing a 29,000-mile solo circumnavigation via the five great capes: Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, Cape of Tasmania and the Southwest Cape of New Zealand. At 69, she’s the oldest woman to do so.

Jeanne Socrates spent one night in Hanalei Bay on her way north. She celebrated her arrival with Singlehanded TransPac friends before upping anchor the next day.

latitude/LaDonna
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

Socrates left Victoria in October, 2010, on a planned nonstop trip around, but a knockdown at Cape Horn forced her to spend nearly a year in Cape Town effecting repairs and upgrading systems. Once underway, she made a handful of stops — Hobart, Tahiti and Hawaii — before heading back to the Pacific Northwest, where she’ll once again attempt a nonstop solo circumnavigation this fall. "I felt decidedly cheated when I was knocked down," Socrates said shortly before her landfall in BC. "If that hadn’t happened, I’m convinced I would have completed my nonstop attempt, so I’m going to give it one last try. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to relaxed cruising in company of friends."

We wish Socrates nothing but the fairest of winds. You can follow her attempt at www.svnereida.com.

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It’s a good thing the U.S. has Michael Phelps and many other gold medal winners in swimming and gymnastics – because our sailing team is coming up empty-handed.