Jeanne Socrates is almost there...

[conachair]

Tracking Nereida

Engineless around the world non stop.

What an incredible achievement

[tookish1]

Yes! I have been tracking her daily since she left almost 260 days ago. It has been a great adventure - proving anything can be accomplished if you just keep moving forward - even if its only 1kt at a time.

[Paul Elliott]

I happen to be in Victoria tonight (Sunday) through Tuesday afternoon. Does anyone know where Jeannie will be tying up? She was showing up on AIS this morning, going in circles (no wind and strong currents), just inside of Cape Flattery. This is also where the IonEarth tracker put her at 9:26 AM. It's now 10:30 PM and I no longer see her AIS signal.

[Paul Elliott]

Per the ExactEarth tracker, as of about an hour ago -- 04:48 (UTC?) -- she was just off Race Rocks. That's roughly ten miles from Victoria. She's doing about 3.6 Kts.

[Paul Elliott]

Hooray! Jeannie made it! According to her blog, she tied up at the Victoria docks about 3:00AM this morning (Monday). I can see Nereida from my hotel window:


I'll bet she's sleeping now, but I will walk down later and congratulate her.

[sailorchic34]

Bravo for Jeanne!. I too have been following her RTW blog. Very well done!

[TaoJones]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Hooray! Jeannie made it! According to her blog, she tied up at the Victoria docks about 3:00AM this morning (Monday). I can see Nereida from my hotel window:


I'll bet she's sleeping now, but I will walk down later and congratulate her.

And get an exclusive interview for Cruisers Forum, of course!

TaoJones

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by TaoJones

And get an exclusive interview for Cruisers Forum, of course!

Not quite. When I got to her boat she was being thoroughly interviewed by a guy with a big shoulder-mounted video camera. I ended up just saying hello and congratulations. I asked her why she had to stay on the boat waiting for customs clearance, since she had left from Victoria and not stopped anywhere else on her way around the world. She told me that she had tried that line of reasoning with the woman at the customs office, but they weren't going for it. Jeannie was bright and cheerful after only a few hours of sleep.

I was initially concerned that she hadn't received a proper welcome, because when I woke up and saw her boat there was nobody on the dock. As it turned out, Jeannie had a nice welcoming committee on the water as she approached Victoria. I spoke with a few of the boaters who guided her into port. It seemed like Jeannie had been well taken care of. While I was talking with her, people were dropping by with welcome wishes, flowers, etc.

Nereida looked good, but her stern-pole mounted radar was hanging askew and lashed down. I understand that this was due to a knockdown. It will be interesting to hear her story.

Here's an article in the local press: Oldest woman to sail around world solo, non-stop ends journey in Victoria - Times Colonist

[Jd1]

This probably qualifies as a stupid question but how does a solo sailor deal with provisions? If you are going non-stop around the world, do you depend on the kindness of strangers to bring the groceries out to the boat on the high seas ? Heck, I buy groceries twice a week so I can't fathom the whole 'being on the water for a month' thing ... never mind going around the world and provisioning for something like that !

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Jeannie was bright and cheerful after only a few hours of sleep....

In the last 9 months

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by Jd1

This probably qualifies as a stupid question but how does a solo sailor deal with provisions? If you are going non-stop around the world, do you depend on the kindness of strangers to bring the groceries out to the boat on the high seas ? Heck, I buy groceries twice a week so I can't fathom the whole 'being on the water for a month' thing ... never mind going around the world and provisioning for something like that !

You carry enough food to get you all the way around, plus some extra. These days you have a watermaker, but you should still be prepared to catch rain should the watermaker break. I suppose you can occasionally catch a fish -- we do on our multi-week passages, but I'm not singlehanding.

[deckofficer]

I liked her use of HAM radio. When she wanted "company", she turned on the radio and chatted with other HAMS. I did the same solo anchored in the Sea of Cortez. From what I've seen of current cruiser's, the wi-fi signal is the means to socialize.

[Jd1]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

You carry enough food to get you all the way around, plus some extra. These days you have a watermaker, but you should still be prepared to catch rain should the watermaker break. I suppose you can occasionally catch a fish -- we do on our multi-week passages, but I'm not singlehanding.

How does one think ahead for 360 (a wild guess) days of provisions ? I am guessing a lot of the provisions would be dried or canned but still, that is a LOT of planning ahead. The boat was engine-less but I guess she could have had a small generator. The logistics just boggle the mind!

[Paul Elliott]

She had solar panels, and I saw a propane tank (she may have carried several tanks).

Yes, you need to plan your meals, at least in a general way. You're not going to be carrying stuff that spoils, or is low-density. Some of the freeze-dried meals aren't too bad, and you can carry a lot of these in a small amount of space. Beans and rice also store well, especially if you vacuum-seal them. Some people grow sprouts and other vegetables at sea. I don't know what Jeanne specifically did for food, but what I describe is pretty typical.

[nimblemotors]

Quite the journey, at any age. My congratulations!

Good thing she did not get too close to NZ, they might have forced her to come to shore to check her boat for seaworthiness....