Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz (15 July 1936 – 13 June 2021) was a Polish naval engineer and sailor. She was the first woman to have sailed single-handed (i.e. solo) around the world, repeating the late nineteenth century accomplishment of Joshua Slocum. She sailed from the Canary Islands on 28 March 1976 and completed her solo circumnavigation near the Cape Verde Islands on 20 March 1978, having covered approximately 28,696 nautical miles (53,133 km) over the course of 723 days.

Early life and education Krystyna Chojnowska was born in Warsaw, Poland on 15 July 1936. After the Second World War her family moved to Ostróda where she had her first experiences of sailing on Lake Drwęckie. She studied naval engineering in the Faculty of Shipbuilding at Gdańsk University of Technology, supervised by Professor Roman Lipowicz [ pl], a specialist in ship board refrigeration systems. She graduated in 1960. She met her husband, Wacław Liskiewicz at the same university. He was also professionally involved in ship design and the couple were avid sailors.

The voyage

Chojnowska-Liskiewicz set sail from the Canary Islands on 28 February 1976, crossing the Atlantic Ocean to Barbados. She then sailed through the Caribbean Sea to the Panama Canal, and hence to the Pacific Ocean.

After crossing the Pacific, Chojnowska-Liskiewicz sailed via Tahiti and Fiji to Australia, and then west across the Indian Ocean via Mauritius. After passing the Cape of Good Hope, she sailed north, and crossed her outbound track on 20 March 1978 at latitude 16° 08.5' north and longitude 35° 50' west.

Chojnowska-Liskiewicz completed her voyage when she entered the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 21 April 1978, having sailed in 401 days. On 18 June 1978, she returned to Poland, mooring the “Mazurek” on the Motława River, to a hero's welcome. After a period of relative obscurity, she has once more been acclaimed as a national hero.

Other contenders for the title In completing her voyage, Chojnowska-Liskiewicz only narrowly beat Naomi James, who completed her own single-handed circumnavigation on 8 June 1978. James' voyage is itself notable, however; she completed a fast (although not non-stop) circumnavigation in just 272 days, thus improving on Sir Francis Chichester's solo round-the-world sailing record by two days. She also became the first woman to single-handedly sail the clipper route, eastabout and south of the three great capes, starting and finishing in the English Channel (a requirement for speed records).

In 1988, Kay Cottee of Australia became the first woman to complete a non-stop single-handed circumnavigation, on Blackmore's First Lady.

Post voyage, recognition and later career Chojnowska-Liskiewicz was awarded a gold medal “For Outstanding Sporting Achievements”, received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records and was a recipient of the Slocum Award in the solo sailors category of the Slocum Society. She was also initiated into The Explorers Club in New York.

After completing her record breaking voyage, Chojnowska-Liskiewicz travelled around Poland for the next two years encouraging young people to take up the sport of sailing. In 1981 she took a job at the Radunia Ship Yard, and then worked at the Centrum Techniki Okrętowej (Centre for Naval Technology) in Gdańsk until her retirement. Whilst at the CTO, she oversaw implementation of EN and ISO ship standards into the Polish standardisation system, required as part of the agreements through which Poland joined the European Union in 2004.

In 2001, Chojnowska-Liskiewicz organised an Open Women's Sailing Championship called “Beauties of the Baltic Sea.” In 2008, on the 30th anniversary of her round-the-world voyage, she was honoured with the Super Kolosa Prize for a lifetime achievements in sailing. In 2015, she received the title of Sailor of the 50th Anniversary of the Pomorskiego Związku Żeglarskiego (Pomeranian Sailing Association) (PoZŻ), and in 2017, the Medal for Special Services to Pomeranian Sailing. On 28 March 2021 (the 45th anniversary of the start of her round-the-world voyage), the PoZŻ Regional Council granted her honorary membership. In May 2004, she was made an honorary citizen of Ostróda, and a square in that city was named after her in 2020.

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz died on 13 June 2021 and was buried at the Srebrzysko cemetery.

Legacy On 8 October 2022, in the presence of her husband, a posthumous commemorative plaque was unveiled in Chojnowska-Liskiewicz's honour. In May 2023, a marina in Gdańsk-Górki Zachodnie has been named after her and a plaque commemorating the yacht “Mazurek” was unveiled at the marina quay on Szafarnia Street. After being purchased from a private owner, the yacht Mazurek became the property of the Narodowego Muzeum Morskiego (Polish National Maritime Museum) in Gdańsk and has served as a training yacht. The museum also holds objects donated by Chojnowska-Liskiewicz from her famous voyage, including the white and red fin of the self-steering rudder, decorated with musical notation of the Polish national anthem, a PZŻ sports flag, a handmade flag of Mauritius, and a decorative map of Gran Canaria, received in Las Palmas at the end of her voyage.

Orders