Karen Thorndike

Karen Thorndike, born in Snohomish, Washington in 1942, was an American woman who sailed solo around the world, in a voyage of 33,000 miles, which she completed in 1998 in a 36-foot yacht named Amelia after Amelia Earhart. The trip took her two years and two weeks, but was not done continuously; for example, she had a three-month hospitalization for angina pectoris after her trip began. Her interest in sailing began in the early 1980s. Thorndike took some sailing lessons, began racing and was soon delivering boats from Hawaii to Seattle. During one of those trips, her dream of circumnavigating began to take shape. However, when she confided in a crew member and friend about her plans, he told her, “That’s impossible. You have no idea what you’d be getting yourself into.” After that, Thorndike kept her plans to herself until she bought her boat. During her around-the-world trip she also sailed around the five great capes. Due to her achievement she was interviewed for the book The Heart of Success: Conversations with Notable Achievers by Dan G. Tripps. She also received a Guinness World Records certificate acknowledging her accomplishment.