Solo non-stop attempt

[haiqu]

Jeanne Socrates is doggedly persistent. This is her third attempt at a round-the-world solo non-stop trip, and at 70 years young she hopes to break the record for "oldest ever woman" in the process.

She's south of Africa (41.047 S, 05.439 E) and heading for the coast of Western Australia, then plans to round Tasmania and New Zealand before sailing through the Pacific and back to the USA. Conditions are fair, she currently has 15-20kt winds and is making 5-6kts.

Jeann's ham callsign is KC2IOV/MM and she can be heard talking to US hams on the 40 metre band around 15:00 UTC

Her website is here: Home

[haiqu]

Didn't hear Jeanne last night, her signals are very faint. However I could hear the US side from the hams talking to her. Location is now 41.7S and 05.8E and she's making good progress with fine conditions. If you need to visualize where that is, click here: http://www.gorissen.info/Pierre/maps...&setLatLon=Set and zoom out.

She will be getting on air earlier now, from 14:45 UTC in order to attempt to contact California hams at their sunrise. Monday 4th March will probably be the best time to listen since the ARRL is running a DX competition this weekend and the bands will be chaos for 48 hours from 00:00 UTC Saturday.

She is also in contact with South African hams at different times, and could possibly also be heard on Tony's Net in Kenya on 14.316MHz at 0500 UTC.

I will be trying to make contact as she rounds the coast south of Australia in the next few weeks.

[haiqu]

Minor correction to the first post, Jeanne's take-off point was Victoria, BC and this is also her final destination.

[haiqu]

Actually caught Jeanne's sweet English accent last night, signal level 2 and readability 4. A Western Australian station south of Perth VK6ME managed to have a short QSO after the usual US hams had finished. Still staying up nights to follow her progress, which for the last few days seems to have been fairly slow. I think she must be in the equatorial doldrums there.

[haiqu]

Conversation the last few nights has centred on a problem with the engine cooling pump. Evidently the rubber salwater impeller on her Yanmar engine fell apart and she's worried that the vanes might have lodged in the heat exchanger.

She's about halfway between South Africa and the coast of Western Australia now and her signal continues to improve, but not to the point where I could make contact without a beam antenna. Several Australian hams did have successful short QSOs last night.

[redbopeep]

Thanks for the updates, haiqu. I'm impressed by Jeanne's persistence and pluck! I wish her the best of luck. Hope that her heat exchanger can be taken apart as easily/readily as ours can while still on the engine. Fingers crossed. We purchased the odd-size bronze rod required to ream out the heat exchanger--and keep the rod on the boat. It's a welding rod and I have to keep reminding hubby not to use it while working on something.

Fair winds

[haiqu]

The heat exchanger problem seems to have been fixed, thanks to help from some US ham radio guys. She's getting closer but only making 4kt at present and fog-bound.

[haiqu]

Friday's position report has Jeanne at 44.18S 87.58E and making 9kt which is pretty much hull speed for her yacht.

[haiqu]

Sunday's position is 44.26S 94.11E and Jeanne is making slow time. Radio communications are currently hampered by Saturday's solar event (technically, there was a huge coronal mass ejection) so she probably won't be audible until at least Thursday.

[haiqu]

Monday: 44.14S 097.31E with 20-25kt westerlies.

Tuesday: Surprisingly Jeanne's sigal was stronger last night, it reached readability 5 and strength 4 (of 9) and I attempted a QSO. She could hear me but couldn't make out my callsign, I was using full power (150W).

Jeanne can also be heard on the Pacific Seafarer's Net 14300 at 0300UTC and South African Maritime Net 14316 at 1130UTC but don't expect strong signals.

[haiqu]

Wednesday March 20th. Position 43.03S 102.42E which is 800nm SW of Cape Leewin. Jeanne reports 4-5m swells and a predominantly westerly wind. Sh'e's making about 6kt. Last night as an experiment she came on an hour earlier (1300 UTC) and was audible from the start and for about 90 minutes chatted with various ham operators.

The yacht is a Najad 380, a replacement for the Najad 361 lost on an earlier attempt.

[haiqu]

Friday night: Jeanne is hove to SW of Cape Leeuwin in 5 metre seas and 30 knot winds. She is drifting NNE at 2-3 kt. Her radar gymbal mount is damaged and has been lashed down temporarily, and while I was listening tonight she had to go on deck to investigate a crash, which turned out to be the wind generator self-destructing.

Communications should be limited now due to lack of electrical input from the generator, she will need to conserve diesel and the solar panels are of limited use at those latitudes.

[haiqu]

42.06S 109.35E

Well, she certainly is doing battle with the elements. The hydrovane steering came apart and now Jeanne is having to rely on an electric autopilot until the weather simmers down enough to make a repair. Simple enough in calm conditions, but with a 5m swell and 20-25kt winds somewhat more difficult. Electrical supply still an issue although she seems to have sufficient diesel aboard to make it.

[delatbabel]

"20-25kt winds" is pretty much exactly what I would call calm conditions at that latitude.

[haiqu]

Jeanne made 130nm yesterday. She is assessing the damage to the wind generator and with a spare set of blades aboard she may be able to repair it. The tail is smashed but she thinks something could be cobbled together to make it work again.

It's day 154 and she's at 41.48S 112.30E

[haiqu]

Tuesday 26th. 41.42S 118.23E

Jeanne is heading for the bottom of Tassie and in reasonably good spirits.

[haiqu]

Friday 29th. 42.09S 126.39E

Jeanne is hove to waiting for the weather to settle.

[haiqu]

Still making good time, Jeanne was at 43.03S 124.21E last night. Yesterday's progress was 134nm. She's making a run for Tasmania before an expected high pressure system kills the wind.

[haiqu]

Jeanne was at 43.34S 129.41E on Wed 4 April which is approx. 500nm south of Adelaide. She has lost both monitors on her primary computer due to failures and is now paying the penalty for not doing backups, since her secondary computer was in storage and in fact it took her hours to find it. Meanwhile, no weather faxes and no website updates.

Three metre seas and making 4kt or so.

[haiqu]

Jeanne is becalmed at 250nm west of Tassie and today will make an attempt to reconnect the rudder on the main autopilot. She seems to be beset with myriad equipment failures that she can't handle, which is a great pity.

Reception on 7145kHz last night was awesome, had her at readability 5 and strength 8 S-points easily.