"jlrogers" wrote
A British sailor is on her way to become the first woman to sail non-stop
around the world. Sailing solo from November 21 last year, she is only a
month and 7 days short of completing her target of 172 days on the sea.

Incorrect. She is not the first woman to sail non-stop around the world.
She is not even the first one to do so solo.

Here is the history of women solo circumnavigator firsts.

Poland's Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz set off to sail around
the world by the trade-wind route in 1976-1978 and became the
first woman solo circumnavigator--with stops. She was helped by
her husband to managed the construction of her 31' boat Mazurek.
Her journey took 401 days.

Two months later, Englishwman Naomi James became the first solo
circumnavigator, with stops, by a woman via Cape Horn, in just 272
days on the 53 ft yacht Express Crusader. She suffered major
problems and still beat Chichester's solo record by two days.

In 1988, in 189 days Aussie Kay Cottee in her 36 ft sloop Backmore's
First Lady became the first woman non-stop solo circumnavigator,
sailing downwind south of the capes. Cottee financed her attempt on
her own and made the attempt to fulfil a personal goal.

http://www.australianoftheyear.gov.a...ent.asp?pID=29

Catherine Chabaud of France, 1996-1997, in 140 days was the first
woman to complete an unassisted, solo, nonstop circumnavigation race
in the Vendee Globe in Whirlpool-Europe 2. She came in 9th in that
race. Her boat is for sale, if you'd like to make the journey in a ketch
rig Open 60.

It was a shame that Isabelle Autissier didn't earn that title as
she certainly paid her dues. However, by pushing hard, she
broke two boats, in several attempts, including that years
race. She has made two complete circumnavigations - in the
BOC Challenge in 1990-1991 and the Vendée Globe - and
two half circumnavigations, the 1994-95 and 1998-99
BOC/Around Alone events.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_d...ng/1402044.stm

Chabaud, took a safer more northerly route, didn't break the
boat, and became the first woman to sail non-stop around the
world south of all three capes in a race. While Chabaud earned the
title, and deserves recognition for it. Autissier is the more impressive
sailor, because she duked it out toe-to-two with the men, and
did not fail in the comparison. It could be argued she is the best
sailor in the world.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ad...y.html#story_1

Read Godforsaken Sea: The True Story of a Race Through the
World's Most Dangerous Waters, by Derek Lundy--an excellent
book. It goes to great depth on the 1996-1997 Vendee Globe
and talks about some of the early pioneers

Dee Cafari, is attempting to be, and due to the vast support
she has been given, will likely succeed the first woman to sail
non-stop the "wrong-way", against the prevailing winds around
the world south of all three capes. Her distinction is sailing
solo, non-stop, unassisted, upwind, which is the safer, but longer
direction.

Certainly Dee wiill be a worthy addition to the record books, but
her accomplishment will not quite as impressive some of the other
firsts listed above. We are running out of "firsts"!