Nereida Pulling Into Cape Town

Intrepid solo circumnavigator Jeanne Socrates, who set out from the Canaries on October 10 on a planned non-stop circuit of the globe via the five Capes, is being forced to stop in Cape Town, South Africa, to effect repairs to her Najad 380 Nereida. As you’ll recall, Socrates lost her first Nereida on a beach in Mexico last summer and had this new Nereida built to her exacting specifications in the following months.

Since her departure, Socrates has since dealt with a number of problems large and small, most of which she was able to fix outright or at least jury-rig. But being the consummate seawoman, she believes it unwise to enter the Southern Ocean without stopping for repairs, even though she’d hoped to complete the trip non-stop. "My rod kicker totally failed, the first reef line is lost somewhere inside the boom, several battens are broken, and I’m having a problem with the trysail track," she noted, leaving out the earlier trouble she’d had with an exploding watermaker. "I felt it wasn’t safe or sensible to continue without taking the opportunity to get the important items fixed before getting to the 50-plus-knot winds ahead."

As she slogs her way toward Cape Town, she’s been busy ordering parts and arranging for repairs once she arrives. She should arrive in the next few days, and she hopes to keep her stay brief. You can keep up with her blog posts — and track her progress — at www.svnereida.com.