Solo Circumnavigation
At 34, Kay Cottee became the first woman to sail solo, unassisted and nonstop round the world in June 1988. Leaving on 29 November 1987 from Watsons Bay and returning 189 days later on 5 June, she cruised into Sydney Harbour to be met by tens of thousands of well wishers.
Her historic voyage on the 37 feet (11 m) yacht Blackmore's First Lady was the result of a childhood ambition.
She suffered extensive bruising when, in the Southern Ocean, her boat turned upside down and she was washed overboard while harnessed to the boat by two safety lines. A highlight of her trip was rounding Cape Horn of southern Chile, the southernmost tip off South America, which she celebrated with a lunch of crab, mayonnaise and self baked bread, and a bottle of Grange, a prestigious Australian wine.
Read more about this topic: Kay Cottee
Famous quotes containing the word solo:
“All mothers need instruction, nurturing, and an understanding mentor after the birth of a baby, but in this age of fast foods, fast tracks, and fast lanes, it doesn’t always happen. While we live in a society that provides recognition for just about every life event—from baptisms to bar mitzvahs, from wedding vows to funeral rites—the entry into parenting seems to be a solo flight, with nothing and no one to mark formally the new mom’s entry into motherhood.”
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