Fiona Heenan announcing she's just sailed the 600km needed to claim a Guinness World Record for the longest distance sailed by a woman in a sailing dinghy. Video / Fiona Heenan
It will take a couple of months for Guinness World Records to verify the evidence but Heenan, 58, said she was confident she reached her goal when she and her boat Laser Record passed the 600km mark of her designated route at Cape Karikari about lunchtime last Friday.
“It has not quite sunk in yet,” she said.
“What an adventure.”
The last leg of Heenan’s epic trip, which began in Auckland on February 17 but largely took in Northland’s east coast, was hampered by a lack of wind for most of Friday.
However, as if on cue, the breeze picked up just as Heenan neared her landing point at Puheke Beach, her roadie Jackie Hillman said. What was a laborious five-hour sail turned into a frantic finish.
Fiona Heenan stopped into Marsden Yacht and Boat Club while on her quest for a world record single-handedly sailing a dinghy further than any woman had before. Photo / Supplied
Solo sailer Fiona Heenan's 600km trip started in Auckland and finished about three weeks later at Northland's Puheke Beach. NZ Herald graphic
Heenan’s husband Mark, who had travelled up from Auckland for the penultimate part of the journey, leapt into the sea to help her as a big wave struck and she surfed the final few feet to shore, her boat just ahead of her.
“Fiona was pretty tired but elated to complete the job,” Hillman said.
Fiona Heenan's record-setting sailing attempt started with a grey day in Auckland harbour and finished about three weeks later in the sun and surf on Northland's picturesque Puheke Beach. Photos / Supplied and NZ Herald Graphics
Heenan said the trip was not just about making history – it was also about making a difference.
The dual purpose was to raise money for the Auckland branch of Sailability – a global, not-for-profit organisation with branches throughout New Zealand that aims to provide sailing opportunities for people with disabilities.
Heenan said the voyage itself brought in just over $1000 for the charity but she hoped to generate more donations by giving talks about her adventure to various clubs during the next few months.
Asked about the highlights of her trip, Heenan said it was the people she and Hillman met along the way and the “fantastic” coastline.
While the trip by road between Auckland and Puheke Beach is only 335km, Heenan fulfilled the record distance at sea by sailing closely to all the nooks and crannies of the Northland coastline.
Sarah Curtis is a general news reporter for the Northern Advocate. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, most spent court reporting in Gisborne and on the East Coast. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference, especially those involving environmental issues.
