October 2009 eBook all pages (free PDF, 36.6 - Latitude 38

ecord numbers nereida — cont’d
chance to get on the evening news. The
head of Baja tourism has been invited to
attend and officially start the parade with
a blast from the special starter's shotgun
used during the 1988 America's Cup held
in San Diego.
While we're gratified that so many boats
decided to enter, our primary concern is
that everyone make it to Cabo safely. For
this reason, we want to emphasize how
important it is for all skippers and crew
to make sure that the boat and all the
crew are ready to sail offshore. It starts
with personal issues. Everybody needs to
understand the importance of not going
overboard, getting hit in the head by the
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SIGHTINGS
bittersweet reunion, to be sure, but one that brought Jeanne a sense
of closure — especially when, shortly before the race’s final party, she
learned that her insurance company, Lloyds of London, had honored
her claim in full.
Instead of continuing to scour used boat ads on the internet,
Socrates contacted Najad Yachts in Sweden and began an eight-month
process of having a new boat built to her exacting specifications. Having
sailed the first Nereida thousands of miles with her late husband
George, and then tens of thousand on her own, Jeanne was intimately
familiar with the changes she wanted made.
The new Nereida was launched this past April, and Jeanne spent
the summer commissioning the boat and otherwise prepping it for
her next goal: A singlehanded, nonstop circumnavigation via the
Great Capes. If she completes the trip, which she expects to take six
or seven months, she says she’ll be the oldest woman do have done
so — but she’s not saying exactly how old that is. “Let’s just say that
I’m in my 60s,” she noted. “I don’t believe a woman over 60 has ever
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October, 2009 • Latitude 38 • Page 85
PHOTOS COURTESY NEREIDA