Jeanne Socrates Oldest Person solo RTW attempt

[Sea Dreaming]

Hmm...at her level of experience I am sure she knows what she is about. Besides, I dont hear her saying "if it get rough I can always bail by activating the epirb. No, Im pretty sure she is smart enough to know the risks and wise enough to make her own choices.
Judgments often reflect our own values, not the values of the person we judge.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Hmm...at her level of experience I am sure she knows what she is about. Besides, I dont hear her saying "if it get rough I can always bail by activating the epirb. No, Im pretty sure she is smart enough to know the risks and wise enough to make her own choices.
Judgments often reflect our own values, not the values of the person we judge.

Your last sentence summed it up.

[barnakiel]

Not happening.

Unless she sails very slow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_Sait%C5%8D

I was told there were at least 3 people, as far as I know, who sailed rtw non stop solo the easy way and who were over 80. That's why Minoru elected to sail the difficult way.

What she wants to do is a great adventure and will be a great achievement when done.

My sentiment is that trying to be the youngest/oldest/whatever once the thing has been shown to be doable at all is all puffy air and no merit. Remember we are stronger, healthier and live longer now than we were 50 years ago. We have autopilots, furling sails, engines, digital wx forecasts and gtex parkas. So what actually are we trying to prove?

I am the oldest sailor to mix up gin with rum. Now what.

Is it truly how she herself presented her sailing plans? I cannot remember anything about trying to be the *-est last time I looked up her website. But it has been a moment ago.

b.

[rmlarson1098]

An excellent idea if you ask me. What, do you wanna live forever? I've seen too many friends and relatives slowly wither away, spoon-fed, wearing diapers...
At about Jeanne's age and with health issues that have scribbled the hand-writing on the wall for me, I think it's brilliant. No radio(s) but a VHF; leave the GPS at home - who else is at risk? My wife is sad (I hope!) but understands completely, and I would imagine Ms. Socrates' family more or less feels the same?
More power to her and all best wishes.

[DeepFrz]

Not happening.

Unless she sails very slow.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoru_Sait%C5%8D

I was told there were at least 3 people, as far as I know, who sailed rtw non stop solo the easy way and who were over 80. That's why Minoru elected to sail the difficult way.

Minoru Saitō's last circumnavigation was not non-stop and the last non-stop he completed he was not yet 74. Unless I'm mistaken but that is the information I found.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Minoru Saitō's last circumnavigation was not non-stop and the last non-stop he completed he was not yet 74. Unless I'm mistaken but that is the information I found.

I wonder if a record is really the goal or just being able the accomplish it?

It isn't on my bucket list knowing full well I couldn't accomplish it.

[buzzstar]

Gosh, darn it. How can anyone denigrate either the plan or the accomplishment of this woman? If it is a record, or not, so what? I am 73, and would like to do it, but the resources and the will may there, but me spouse, who, I love more dearly then life is not. I have no way of knowing if I can, except for dreams and hope, which I prefer to removal of my barrier.s I do not wish to control others, and do not wish to be controlled except by my specific agreement or prior understanding.Good for the person who can, and I wish Jeanne Socrates every record which she may break, and the full enjoyment of the attempt if she does not! Go for it young lady!!!

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

Minoru Saitō's last circumnavigation was not non-stop and the last non-stop he completed he was not yet 74. Unless I'm mistaken but that is the information I found.

However, before making his wrong way attempt (done at 77) when asked why not the easy way again, he said : "... because there are at least three persons who sailed this (=easy) way being over 80 and I may or may not live that long ..."

Many naive stunt sportsmen assume wrongly that if something has not been written about, it has not been done.

Let me give you this story too (a true story):

Our young friend and a great stunt biker undertook a long solo desert biking expedition. Once back home, he posted on his website that he was the first and only person to had done this and that. To his surprise, he received an email from a girl in Australia who told him she did the same thing a couple of years earlier, without all the media fuss. She sent him images and a description which clearly showed she was not joking. Even worse: she said she was not the first one either: some time back another guy did just the same.

We often cannot find some info on the web and we can then jump to the conclusion that we are the first, oldest or *-est (add you own root here) in a field. Not all written records have been digitized yet. Far from it.

I bet the same illusion was shared by people in the printed word era thinking about things done by people in the spoken word era.

Cheers,
b.

[patprice]

Originally Posted by tkeithlu

Wait a minute. Isn't Jon Sanders 77? Or, are there different specifications for their circumnavigations?

Re Jon Sanders...read on....

NEW VOYAGE PLANS
Sanders set sail on his 10th historic circumnavigation attempt from Fremantle, WA, on October 16, 2016. He plans to return to Fremantle one year later after circumnavigating the world. At last report, he was sailing off the WA coast in fine fettle and trim. You can follow Jon's trip on Facebook at Jon Sanders - 10th Circumnavigation.

This circumnavigation will include two formal races: The Dirk Hartog Island Race, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the landing by Dutch voyagers on Australian shores, commencing in early October 2016; and the 2017 Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro Race, a 3600 nautical mile race across the South Atlantic, starting January 2017. A crew will be supporting Sanders in these two races, but he will sail solo for the majority of the voyage.

Sanders received some great community and public help to fund this 10th circumnavigation of the world. The funds raised were used to help refit SV Perie Banou II so she could safely carry the sailor around the world, and to help cover costs associated with the voyage.

Born 1939 in Perth, WA, the now 77-year-old Sanders had open heart surgery, but is reportedly back in good health and good spirits as his record-breaking voyage continues.

[uncle stinkybob]

Originally Posted by Cadence

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.

Yet at time's it's the only intelligent conversation I can find.

[desertsailor]

Originally Posted by Foolish

Jeanne Socrates left Victoria yesterday in her attempt to become the oldest human to do solo around the world via the great capes, non-stop.

Jeanne is already the oldest woman to do it, 3 years ago. Now, at 74, she intends to become the oldest person. She's already got 3 1/2 roundings and a total of 135,000 solo nautical miles under her keel, all since turning 60.

Here is her website: Home - S/V Nereida Jeanne Socrates Make sure to look at all the publicity she's gotten over the years. And this does not even include the incredible amount of TV and press coverage she's gotten in the past month.

Last Friday we went for a 9 hour shake down sail. Saw 42 knots wind speed. Here is a nice photo I snapped:
Attachment 133266

And last night I had a beer with Laura Dekker, the youngest person to do solo RTW. I've got quite a list of friends :-)

Instead of criticizing Jeanne's attempt like Jolly Roger, I think we should celebrate and encourage her and people like her that take on tasks that most people would think are too difficult because of their age or station in life. I'm 67, and have crewed for others (not owning a boat) on some off shore passages. I can't think of a better way of spending my last years on this earth than on a sailboat.

[patprice]

Originally Posted by uncle stinkybob

Yet at time's it's the only intelligent conversation I can find.

And that is why Tasmanians have two heads.....there is always available someone smart to talk to

[ingrid75]

Stunters. Always the Stunters.

[DeepFrz]

The thing about this argument about who did what is that Jean's attempt will be a recorded solo, non-stop circumnavigation. There may have been many people who have sailed around the world non-stop but who either didn't bother to get their start time and position recorded by a recognized association or who didn't bother to follow all of the rules. That doesn't negate their accomplishment but it doesn't stand in the record books. And, IMHO, that is the way it should be.

Jean has often started her circumnavigations in Victoria B.C. for just that reason. She starts, witnessed and recorded by a recognized sailing body, at a certain point near Victoria. She then completes her circumnavigation when her outbound and inbound tracks cross after sailing above a certain parallel in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. She also must sail a certain prescribed number of miles.

[MarkJ]

She is not the oldest person to attempt a RTW solo circumnavigation.

It was a 94 year old who DIED trying in his FIRST WEEK.

Now can we stop this ****?