“I was brought sharply out of my trance by yet another knockdown. My life flashed before my eyes for the second time in an hour as I was washed just over the top of the leeward safety railing before my harness lines pulled me up short. I held my breath under water until my lungs felt like they would burst, willing my lovely Lady to right herself and praying that the two harness lines did not give way.
She took her time, but true to form gracefully rose again, this time with me dangling over the side. It was a mammoth effort to heave myself up, and I don’t think I could have managed without the help of the next breaking wave that half washed me back on to the boat.”
(In 1988, at the age of 34, Kay Cottee became the first woman to sail around the world alone, non-stop and unassisted. Her voyage took 189 days and raised more than $1m for the Rev Ted Noffs Life Education Program.) – Kay Cottee – First Lady (1989).
