SHE will battle fierce seas and gale force winds, and will be completely alone for six months.

But that will not stop supergran Jeanne Socrates from fulfilling her dream of sailing singlehanded non stop around the world – in her 60s.

Former maths teacher Jeanne will become skipper, navigator, engineer and chef when she takes her 38ft yacht Nereida 25,000 miles around the globe without stopping in the name of charity.

It will be the second time she has attempted the epic journey – last year she got in touching distance of completing the journey when her previous yacht was beached in Acapulco, Mexico, 60 miles from the finish.

From her base at Hamble Point Marina, Jeanne said: “I decided to go for this challenge – the big one – and really push myself. A circumnavigation is the Everest of sailing.

“It may seem like a lot to take on but I’ve been singlehanding for some years now and have got to the point where I am totally comfortable sailing the boat on my own.

“Being out in the middle of the ocean, when everything is going right and it is just you that has done it, is an amazing feeling.”

Jeanne has been sailing singehanded since losing her husband George to cancer in 2003.

She is hoping to raise as much money as possible for Marie Curie Cancer Care from the voyage.

“That made me appreciate how precious the gift of life we all have is, and that it should be lived to its fullest, which is why I am taking on this challenge,”

she said.

“My husband and I sailed together for several years, although things became increasingly difficult when he was ill. His love of the sea and sailing meant that he was particularly happy when he was onboard our boat.

“I came to believe that quality of life and being with loved ones is really important and that is why I am supporting the vital and wonderful work that Marie Curie nurses do.”

Jeanne has spent six weeks at Hamble Point Marina preparing Nereida for the epic voyage, which she hopes will take around six months.

On Sunday, she will sail out of Southampton Water to the Canary Islands before embarking on the adventure in September.

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