Round-the-worlder Jeanne, 77, home tomorrow

An eager Jeanne Socrates is nearly there, just a few miles from home, but slowed considerably by a teasing breeze that doesn't want to exactly hurry her over the finish line at British Columbia.

The amazing lady, aged 77, is almost back in civilisation after an astounding 335 days alone out there in the world's most perilous oceans.

Yesterday, as the former maths teacher sailed close to Canada, she noted very excitedly, 'Landfall getting close!'

100 miles

She noted that she had just over 100 miles to go, a distance the good yacht Nereida would normally manage easily in a day.

'A Wednesday landfall is still possible,' Jeanne signalled, 'but only if there's a good wind!'

Even so close to her home port, the oceans had plenty of magic to offer. She logged, '5pm: Whale surfaced several times very close to us - quite a large one!

'Seemed to cruise along near our port side for a time and finally dropped back and stayed astern.

No barnacles

'It looked like the same type of whale as seen a week or so ago - all smooth, very dark grey/black, no barnacles seen, with a small recurved dorsal fin.'

Continues on the blogs for my ocean adventuring book, Sailing to Purgatory, at
http://sailingtopurgatory.com/index.php/feeds/438-round-the-worlder-jeanne-77-home-tomorrow