A 70-year-old British grandmother is due to make landfall tomorrow, Saturday 6 July, in Victoria, British Columbia after spending 257 days at sea alone.

Jeanne Socrates in her 38ft yacht, Nereida, is on track to complete her third attempt at a solo non-stop unassisted circumnavigation of the world in style.

After being becalmed for the past two weeks, which has delayed her landfall, strong winds are now forecast to be around 30 knots as she makes her final sail.

Jeanne left Victoria Harbour, B.C. Canada on 22 October 2012 and will have travelled more than 25,000 nautical miles at her journey’s conclusion.

When she succeeds, she will be the world’s oldest female solo non-stop unassisted circumnavigator and she will be the first female solo non-stop circumnavigator to start from North America.

Her challenge has been undertaken without the use of the boat’s engine for propulsion.

Jeanne’s voyage is being recorded by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. The yacht will be escorted in by a Prince of Whales whale watching boat.

After arrival, Nereida will be docked in front of the Empress Hotel, courtesy of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.

Jeanne had previously had two hopes of a successful non-stop round the world voyage dashed; the first attempt resulted in the total loss of her boat, and during the second attempt her vessel was knocked down off Cape Horn and Jeanne was forced to put into port for extensive repairs. Though she completed the circumnavigation, the non-stop challenge eluded her.

She has written a daily journal throughout her quest, in which she describes the many challenges she has had on her voyages (http://svnereida.com/).

Jeanne learned to sail when she was in her late 40s. In 1997 she and her husband commissioned the first Nereida and sailed from the UK across the Atlantic.

After her husband’s death from cancer, Jeanne started a steep learning curve that resulted in her deciding to carry on sailing single-handed.

She hopes to raise funds to support the Marie Curie Cancer Foundation by using her sailing to highlight the work it does in providing home care to terminally ill patients.