London Woman To Be Awarded Blue Water Medal For Setting Records On The High Seas
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- At first glance you would never be able to tell who Jeanne Socrates is or what she does.
The 71-year-old London woman is a sailor par excellence, CBS 2's Scott Rapoport reported. Sailing is her life. She has sailed around the world solo three times.
In 2013, at the age of 70, she became the oldest woman to sail around the world, by herself, non-stop.
"It's just an amazing feeling," she said, "It's as if I own the world and the ocean."
Socrates didn't start sailing until she was 48-years-old and her children were grown up. She began sailing with her husband as a form of relaxation. When he died of cancer in 2003, Socrates carried on and started dreaming of sailing the world.
However, her trips were not without danger.
"Well I lost a boat on a beach in Mexico. And I've been in a major knockdown off Cape Horn. I've been lucky to survive both of those in tact," she said.
On Friday, Socrates will be honored with the stratospherically prestigious Blue Water Medal from The Cruising Club Of America. The award is regarded by some as the Nobel Prize of Sailing.
"For me to be flown in and awarded the Blue Water Medal, that feels pretty special," she said.
Socrates said that sailing is her calling, her love, and her passion.
"I just feel so lucky to be alive and be out there," she said.
The adventurous soul said that for her next trip she wants to make a loop around the Pacific Ocean.
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