Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz
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Chojnowska-Liskiewicz on the yacht Mazurek circa 1979
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| Born | 15 July 1936 |
| Died | 13 June 2021 (aged 84) Gdansk, Poland
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| Nationality | Poland |
| Known for | Sailing around the globe single handed |
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (born July 15, 1936 – died June 13, 2021) was a brave Polish sailor and naval engineer. She made history by becoming the very first woman to sail all by herself around the entire world! This amazing journey is called a circumnavigation.
Krystyna started her incredible trip from the Canary Islands on March 28, 1976. After sailing for 401 days, she returned to the same place on April 21, 1978. She traveled a total of 31,166 nautical miles (which is about 57,719 kilometers) all alone on her boat.
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Krystyna's Amazing Boat
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz sailed around the world from east to west on a special boat named Mazurek. This boat was a type of sloop, which is a sailboat with one mast. It was built in Poland.
The Mazurek was about 9.51 meters (31.2 feet) long. It was 2.70 meters (8.86 feet) wide, which is called its beam. The boat's sail area was 35 square meters (376.7 square feet). What's even cooler is that Krystyna's own husband was in charge of the team that built the Mazurek!
The Epic Journey Around the World
Krystyna began her solo adventure from the Canary Islands on February 28, 1976. Her first big step was crossing the huge Atlantic Ocean to reach Barbados.
After that, she sailed through the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea to get to the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is a famous shortcut that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Once through the canal, she was in the vast Pacific Ocean.
Krystyna continued her journey across the Pacific, stopping at beautiful places like Tahiti and Fiji. From there, she sailed west across the Indian Ocean, passing by Mauritius.
After successfully going around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, she turned her boat north. On March 20, 1978, she crossed the path where she had started her journey. This meant she had officially sailed all the way around the globe!
Krystyna completed her incredible voyage when she arrived back at the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on April 21, 1978. She had sailed 31,166 nautical miles in 401 days. When she returned to Poland on June 18, 1978, she was celebrated as a true national hero!
Other Women Who Sailed Solo
Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz finished her trip just before another amazing sailor, Naomi James. Naomi completed her own solo trip around the world on June 8, 1978.
Naomi James's journey was also very special. She completed her circumnavigation in just 272 days! This was a very fast trip, and she even beat the record set by Sir Francis Chichester for solo sailing around the world by two days. Naomi was also the first woman to sail the challenging clipper route all by herself. This route goes east around the world, south of the three great capes, starting and finishing in the English Channel.
Later, in 1988, Kay Cottee from Australia became the first woman to sail around the world without stopping even once. She did this on her boat called Blackmore's First Lady.
Images for kids
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Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz received the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta, a high honor in Poland.
