LAST week Jeanne Socrates sailed in the Saturday afternoon race with Port Stephens Yacht Club.

She is considered yachting royalty by some, having circumnavigated the world in her yacht solo.

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Jeanne took 339 days aboard her monohull yacht to complete her circumnavigation and at the time was the oldest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.

Jeanne has sailed some amazing passages and is the oldest person to have completed a circumnavigation around the five great capes; Cape Horn, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, South East Cape of Tasmania and the South Cape of Stewart Island.

Jeanne Socrates told News Of The Area, “The passage took much longer than I anticipated, it was almost a year to complete, four more months than expected.”

As Jeanne took the helm of Cherylle Stone’s Subzero confidently around the Bay, she shared stories of her adventures and spoke of the book that is underway telling the tales of her many days at sea.

Her travels have not been without trials and disaster, with one shipwreck on her record.

Her experience was passed on to one of the crew as she advised of routes to take when leaving Panama, a journey that one Port local sailing duo is about to undertake as they bring their vessel back to Australia.

The duo have already sailed their vessel across the Atlantic.

Jeanne is currently working with the Guinness World Book Of Records to have a second world record verified.

Upon leaving Australia, Jeanne is off to Canada to reunite with her vessel Nereida.

Her motto is “Life is precious, make the most of it,” and this is something that this remarkable woman has certainly done and is planning to continue to do.

By Marian SAMPSON