Jeanne Socrates Oldest Person solo RTW attempt

[uncle stinkybob]

:biggrin

Originally Posted by wunderluster

How foolish, her boat has a bolt on fin keel! The prop is exposed and the rudder is on a partial skeg. Surely, she'll never make it

,,

[SF Bay Dude]

Originally Posted by wunderluster

How foolish, her boat has a bolt on fin keel! The prop is exposed and the rudder is on a partial skeg. Surely, she'll never make it

I don't know why sarcasm doesn't translate? Wait, was that sarcastic?

Anyway, good for her! Same old judgements and grumblings from people who want to be heard. We should all be supportive of her. We're all cruisers. All of us who have shoved off have heard the, "She'll never make it," and "He'll be back with his tail between his legs," comments.

She's already been there and done that, so she knows what she's getting into. If those who want to be persnickety would take the time to read her bio and reasons, especially losing her partner to cancer, I think it makes a great deal of sense to shove off and hit her goal. I am looking forward to watching her progress.

Sail on!

[robert sailor]

I'm not so sure I'd call her a Voyager much less a cruiser. She is sailing around the world non stop via the great capes. This type of sailing is just in different league than the rest of us. It's hard to imagine what personal strength both physically and mentally that's required for a trip like this. I've crossed oceans for years but my longest crossing was 19 days and I always had the company of my wife who did more than her fair share of the work onboard. This is one amazing women!!

[Cadence]

I'm not overly religious but God bless her. May she achieve her dream.

[wunderluster]

Originally Posted by Foolish

She has already been around the world 3 1/2 times on that boat or it's identical predecessor, including 3 times past Cape Horn. VERY FEW people in the world have more singlehanded miles under their keel than Jeanne. At 74, she's not a racer, but she certainly knows what she's doing. That is impossible to question.

I agree. You must have missed the at the end of my post! Just being sarcastic to all of the full keel, skeg hung rudder crowd. BTW, my boat is a CSY so I'm in that group.

[Rigdaddy]

Originally Posted by uncle stinkybob

There in lays the problem with judging someone from the perspective you have about yourself, you will never understand. I highly doubt she is trying to prove anything to anyone but herself.
Perhaps she's doing it because she can and loves doing it. Maybe she's not ready to lay down quietly and die but would rather leave this world with no regrets and a worn out body. I greatly admire her for the attempt. What an amazing life!

I agree completely; but I imagine some of my friends wonder about me too.
Curtis

[alctel]

I'm kicking myself for not saying hi - though i imagine she would have been very busy leading up to leaving

[1Sunseeker]

Well I admire her. But really how does one handle the loneliness? I am 78 and would never make it mentally. My body maybe, my boat probably. My mind? I don't think so. I would rather lay up in a BC cove and read about it. There are so many beautiful places here in the NW that I will never be able to visit/see them all. I guess we are just different kinds of sailors. At any rate Viva La Senora!

[coastalexplorer]

The way I heard it she started sailing with her husband (Charles?) and that unfortunately he died. but she decided she wanted to keep on going, So some experienced sailors initially helped her learn and she never looked back. I sent her an email once because I wanted to meet her; but she never replied which quite surprised me as I thought my real name would have mused her. but there you go..it is all about who you know and who can introduce you that counts. I admire the lady for the knowledge she has acquired and the philosophy she practices of doing her own thing.

[hsi88]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger
I never could understand why someone, of any age—and especially someone who has lived 74 years—would want to try to prove she is better than anyone else. Especially doing it in the god-awful environment at sea in a small boat. What’s the point?

Why do people run marathons or climb mountains or learn to fly? What's the point? Maybe some people just enjoy challenging themselves. They learn things about life and themselves others will never get.

My son has that attitude to some degree. Why climb Everest when I can get the views on my UHD TV without the risk. He can visit places I would have problems getting into via his large screen TV. So what's the point? And as he points out, virtual reality is just around the corner.

Why sail around the Chesapeake when I can open up a cold one and sit there with the SV Delos gang. Makes it easy to enjoy the circumnavigation and watch them deal with customs and break downs and bare chested boat mates. What's the point of buying a 6 figure boat and lugging supplies when I can watch someone else do that and still enjoy the scenery from the comfort of my couch. What's the point?

[Foolish]

sent her an email once because I wanted to meet her; but she never replied which quite surprised me as I thought my real name would have mused her. but there you go..it is all about who you know

She must have missed your email. She does get a lot of messages. Jeanne is the most gregarious person you'll ever meet. She spend hours every day talking to strangers on her ham radio and at the dock she talks with everyone who comes by. So if you ever have a chance to meet with her, don't be shy.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by 1Sunseeker

Well I admire her. But really how does one handle the loneliness? I am 78 and would never make it mentally. My body maybe, my boat probably. My mind? I don't think so. I would rather lay up in a BC cove and read about it. There are so many beautiful places here in the NW that I will never be able to visit/see them all. I guess we are just different kinds of sailors. At any rate Viva La Senora!

You can always get channel fever as step over the side, I'm 73 and may have the same problem, speaking to yourself is somewhat dull.

[buzzstar]

Probably shows more of my ignorance than knowledge, but what Harry Heckel Jr., who reportedly did it in a Dreadnought 32 at age 89? He has been, while not my idol, a goal setter since I am only73.

[Sea Dreaming]

I have a sailor friend in his 60's. When I told him of our cruising plans he commented that he was "too old". I sent him this link in hopes he would start to dream a little. As far as I know he is in good health. But he still doesnot think he is capable of cruising. I guess everyone knows their limits but I think he is short changing himself. I.dont call him "the white wizard" because he is pasty!

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger

I’ve got a few miles under my belt single handed, but I never could understand why someone, of any age—and especially someone who has lived 74 years—would want to try to prove she is better than anyone else.
Especially doing it in the god-awful environment at sea in a small boat.
What’s the point? The chance of loosing your life is extreme and also possibly endangering others in the process is downright selfish.
Is it for self fulfillment, or just plain egotism?
I’m 72 and don’t feel the need to prove much, let alone risk my life upon a cast.

First, I wish her Godspeed and great success. She is an inspiration for all of us, even those of us who's most challenging project is to get up in the morning.

Just because one don't get it doesn't mean we can't appreciate the spirit of the endeavour. Some of us are eternally youthful, and some are just born old. They may not be buried yet be they can be just as dead.

Why circumnavigate? Before I answer that, let's examine your premise. Extreme danger. Hmmm, well, in the U.S. around 100 people PER DAY die in their mobile cocoons better known as cars, mostly in the huge cultural void of the suburbs. They died doing nothing better than going to the grocery store to get their hemorrhoid medicines, or a quart of milk, or their cigarettes. On the other hand, there are countless cruisers who's worst danger was spilling their soup on their lap. With today's weather forecasting, knowledge, and communications one can usually avoid any truly terrible weather, so the vast majority of the time the conditions are actually the opposite of awful; they are often downright beautiful and inspiring. I suggest that given her experience, and her well equipped vessel, the risk is quite low.

As for selfishness, anything we do can at some point put someone else at risk trying to help you. When your home burns, do you say that you put the firemen at risk? When an ambulance rushes to render medical aid to your sedentary body, do you consider yourself selfish?

Why circumnavigate? There are many answers and all of them will apply to us in different measures. Stan Bugaev, a mountain climber (another of my passions) eloquently stated it thusly: "But for me, being in the mountains is the purest form of exploration. Every mountain and every trek look and feel different! Every climb is a new challenge to overcome and new memories to make!' So too it applies for a challenge such as hers. We become one with nature. We challenge ourselves to reach to pinnacles of success. We find out what we are capable of and who we are. We meet new friends, discover new experiences, and experience life to the fullest. We have time to reflect, to philosophize, to pray in some cases, to relax, to improve ourselves, and to expand our horizons. Our feeling of achievement is much more when there is a challenge. Anyone can be told they are great for doing essentially nothing, but the feeling of success quickly wears thin when we realize that what we did wasn't really much. When you circumnavigate, or win a challenging race, or accomplish something of substance, your reward is greatly magnified, and the feeling lasts a lifetime.

You may be content to vegetate, and certainly that is your right. You may wish to do nothing more than coastal cruising, and that is a great way to go sailing. There's nothing wrong with it. Not understanding her motivations is also all right. Denigrating her successes and downplaying the magnitude of her accomplishments is not all right. She is an exceptionally accomplished sailor and continues to inspire others. There are others who continue to explore, inspire, and assist others even at advanced ages. Eric Forsyth lives near me in Long Island and continues to sail around the world and he's around 80 (he doesn't sail alone. Check him our at www.YachtFiona.com). The point is that they continue to give meaning to their lives and the lives of others. Throughout history, the greats, the people who will be remembered through the years, continue to achieve great things as long as they can. They serve to inspire countless generations to greatness. People still admire Joshua Slocum a century later. People will be inspired by her many years from now too.