Should we be worried about Jeanne Socrates

zoidberg said:
She's a very resourceful skipper, and certainly among the half-dozen most experienced blue/grey-water sailors.
I wouldn't think her decision-making skills were in any way impaired.
Click to expand...
No , but while you only get one go at 'youngest' ... you also eventually run out of chances to be 'oldest'....

A pit stop at Bluff and then home would still mean she is oldest south of the 4 'Great Capes' - no mean achievement. Sorry but I don't count Leeuwin or even Cape Howe as a great cape .
 
zoidberg said:
She's a very resourceful skipper, and certainly among the half-dozen most experienced blue/grey-water sailors.
I wouldn't think her decision-making skills were in any way impaired.
Click to expand...

One tough cookie :cool:

And can't be that many around with the same experience in a small boat solo in the southern ocean..

Jim, WB2REM spoke with Jeanne for 45 minutes via Sat Phone. Jeanne seems to be in good spirits despite what she has gone through. She would first like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. She is aware that everyone is concerned about her welfare. Until she gets her electrical charging problems fixed, she will not be using her radio. The electrical power is being supplied by her generator right now which is used mainly for the autopilot and water desalinization. The meters on the desalinization tanks seems to be broken and she is currently assessing the amount of water in each tank. She has water stored in other places as well. WB2REM suggested that Jeaane could check into the 7163 Net through his cellpatch which she has agreed to do once she has gone around the cape. Her current plan to is to pull in the droog tomorrow and slowly head north to allow storms near the cape to pass by. Then on Tuesday or so she will make her way around the cape and go along the east coast of New Zealand. She wants to observe the boats functioning and fuel consumption. She has calculated that she has 240 liters of fuel left on the boat and anticipates using 3 liters a fuel a day to run the auto pilot and at the same time make water and charge her sat phone. She commented that she probably has 60 or at most 90 days left to go to reach Victoria and at 3 liters a day, she would have enough fuel to run the generator. However, as a precaution after going around the cape she will hug the east coast of New Zealand to see how things goes and if their are unforseen problems she will be close to shore to pull in. Otherwise, She will either go east or northeast from there on route to her final destination.

She said the structure of the boat seems intact. The vent holes above the cabin took a beating when the boat knocked down. She had a lot of water come in that way. She plans to use some plastic and gorilla tape to fix them. She lost her solar panels and one of the wind turbines blades was broken when it hit the water on the knock down. As far as the knock down, Jeanne, was pushed backwards while sitting on the bunk which she said was fortunate. The knock down was brief but violent making a loud crash and subsequent water coming in through the torn off vents. Her food was secured and not effected. She is currently in dry clothes and was able to get some sleep. She said that you can get her coordinates if needed through marinetraffic.com
Click to expand...
 
I think we'll all heave a sigh of relief to read her latest blog post tonight - https://svnereida.com/blog


As always, there are points of seamanship to learn.... or to be reminded of. It's not just the Southern Ocean that throws stuff every which way in a heap.
 
zoidberg said:
I think we'll all heave a sigh of relief to read her latest blog post tonight - https://svnereida.com/blog


As always, there are points of seamanship to learn.... or to be reminded of. It's not just the Southern Ocean that throws stuff every which way in a heap.
Click to expand...
Umm... while I am an 'antarctic convergence' sort of a bloke the vast majority would say that she is still well and truly in the Southern Ocean. I think her statement - upon passing Tasmania - that she was back in the Pacific was just a little premature......
While her latest blog post is very upbeat she is by no means out of the woods.. latest wx from meteoNZ..
Issued by MetService at: 4:42pm Saturday 18 May 2019 ( that's NZ time ...)
Valid to: Midnight Sunday 19 May 2019

Pusegur Forecast

*** STORM WARNING IN FORCE ***
South of West Cape: Westerly 40 knots,changing southwest 50 knots this evening,then easing to 40 knots overnight tonight. In the north: Westerly 25 knots, changing southwest 35 knots this evening, easing to 25 knots Sunday morning.Sea becoming high in the south for a time. Southwest swell rising to 7 metres for a time. Poor visibility in rain, heavy at times, easing to showers overnight tonight.

Three Day Outlook

Becoming early Monday morning westerly 25 knots everywhere. Becoming Tuesday afternoon northwest 35 knots, easing Wednesday westerly 25 knots. Sea very rough at times. Heavy southwest swell easing Tuesday. Moderate northwest swell developing Tuesday,easing Wednesday.'

And she is some 200 miles north of her last 'great cape' ... which is now to windward....

An idea of what goes on thereabouts with the weather systems can be seen here.. https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=159.03,-33.49,614
 
Things seem to have improved somewhat for Jeanne in the past 2 days. She has resolved much of her comms problem - with some competent guidance - and is now making a course she's relatively happy with.

She still struggles with her damaged mainsail and needs quieter seas to complete the repairs, then hoist some which will help her point a little better.

Let her own words speak for her... https://svnereida.com/blog
 
Looks like she's still going for it - assuming that sat AIS is her -

4wyY6xo.jpg
 
I would assume so, for her blog ( svnereida/blog ) shows her own AIS picture with that position, and the text indicates her planned intentions to work southerly until she can clear Stewart Island and the outlier reefs. It seems the NZ Coastguard also are monitoring her movements.

As for 'pleasure craft', that could be debated - although she reports enjoying the company of various albatross.
 
It sounds to me that she's very much 'on the front foot'....

12:30pm Getting into the forepeak now to check for possible wind generator blades - seas won't get much lower than they are now, so need to make good use of the lighter conditions to dig around under the bunk there. Fingers crossed...

1:15pm Yay...!!! A complete set of new identical blades... Took a bit of getting to, but clearly it was worth it! Now need calm conditions to get up there and replace the damaged/missing blade.
Click to expand...

Inspirational, what?
 
Wonder what she's up to, looks like maybe heading for Mason Bay to anchor? Or asleep.....

The AIS heading jumps around a bit with each update but track seems to be towards that bay. Good luck to her wherever she's going :cool:

(Edit, latest sat AIS does look like she might have turned right towards the cape. )

jwIIIpm.png


Jk7tCDF.jpg
 
Last edited:
GHA said:
Think you have to pay for that, for satellite anyway. I have just been watching where the boat jumps to every 10/15 minutes. Looks like she's heading for the cape now, looks about 20Nm to go.

https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:167.4/centery:-47.2/zoom:10
Click to expand...

Thanks; I use MarineTraffic for work, didn't think Nereida would show up on it for some reason - but I've got her now...:rolleyes:

I think AIS heading information for a yacht in big seas is always going to be iffy.
 
Last edited:
zoidberg said:
Nope.

She's doing just fine.
Click to expand...

If you say so...

Lets see....
Mainsail may or may not be useable.....if after 4 months it ends up back in the track... and the repair stands up ..
Solar gone ...
No easy task taking the fan off the windgen... getting below ... fitting new blade ... refitting
(wind gen not a lot of use in the doldrums or anywhere wind apparent is less than 20 knots.... )
Hydrovane no longer a team player
Relying on making electrons with either engine or gen set ( unsure which ) to drive electrikery autopilot.
Unknown condition of batteries.
Out of fresh water ... relying on water maker which in turn is relying on engine/gen set...

And about 6500 miles to go....

Not my idea of fun....
 
I have the feeling she's one of those 'glass half full' types. According to MarineTraffic she's presently around 25 miles SSW of Dunedin, and stopped in zilch breeze. Perhaps she'll be able to get some crucial sewing done on her mainsail - at last.
 
Think I agree with Frank; she’s got past the Great Capes, and the idea of 6,500 miles relying on the autopilot and the water maker would not be my idea of fun. Better put in and get everything sorted under her own control than risk having to ask for outside help later.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top