(Update) This is a quick follow up to my email sent Sunday, September 1, 2019. The following update was received this p.m. regarding Jeanne Socrates, VE0JS/KC2IOV, who is circumnavigating the globe in her 38-foot sailing vessel Nereida. It was pointed out to me that Jeanne celebrated her 77th birthday during this journey: "The latest update (as of 3 PM PDT Monday) is that Jeanne expects to be sailing through the Strait of Juan de Fuca on Wednesday. She plans to hold at approximately Cape Flattery to wait for the right tide, and then beginning at around midnight, sail along the south side of the Strait and then north into Victoria harbor where she hopes to dock in mid-afternoon. The tuner for her HF rig is still giving her trouble, so contact via that radio will not be possible." If you can hail her on a 2M/70cM frequency I'm sure she'd appreciate a call from you. You might be able to check on her progress by listening to VHF-FM Marine Channel 16A, 156.800 MHz. I hope each of you have had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day. +_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+ Jeanne Socrates, VE0JS/KC2IOV, is used to solitude. The lone 76-year-old yachtswoman passed the southern tip of Africa — some 300 miles to the north — on Valentine’s Day as she forged on toward Australia and New Zealand in her 38-foot sailing vessel Nereida. While underway, Socrates keeps in touch with a community of friends via Amateur Radio — although she had to yield to the ARRL International DX CW activity over the weekend — and she’s sticking to a schedule of 7.160 MHz at 0230 UTC daily. Socrates reported making contact with some ham radio friends on the US west coast on February 17. She’s been blogging her progress. For the complete information about Jeanne, VE0JS/KC2IOV see: http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-is-aboard-during-attempt-to-become- oldest-circumnavigator Her current position report as of about 1:00 P.M. today was: "currently 250 miles off Cape Flattery, bound for Victoria. She is about to become the oldest person to sail solo nonstop unassisted around the world. Jeanne plans to hug the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Neah Bay and Clallam Bay, thus making her visible from the shoreline adjacent to SR-112. This would be kind of like seeing Lindbergh landing at Le Bourget or the Concorde arriving at Boeing Field on its final flight. She hopes to have her VHF gear up and running, so there might be an opportunity to talk to her via ham radio. Exactly when she will be arriving depends on the winds. Right now, she is thinking perhaps Thursday. Details are posted to her blog (https://www.svnereida.com/blog) every afternoon and the position track (http://mmsn-shiptrak.herokuapp.com/?callsign=kc2iov&filter=30) is updated twice a day. On the https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-128.6/centery:48.7/zoom:8 web page, she is currently the light red boat symbol in left portion of the page." If any of our members are in the vicinity of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and you can hail VE0JS/KC2IOV please do so. Welcome her to the Pacific Northwest and congratulate her on the awesome accomplishment. Thanks to Steve, WA7PTM for this great information. -------------------------------------------------------------------- ARRL Western Washington Section Section Manager: Monte L Simpson, AF7PQ af7pq@arrl.org
(Updated) Amateur Radio is Aboard during Attempt to Become Oldest Circumnavigator