Krystyna Chojnowska Liskiewicz

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz was a Polish yachtswoman who made history in 1978 by becoming the first woman to sail solo around the world. Her voyage was an incredible feat that required bravery, determination, and a deep love of sailing.

Krystyna was born in Warsaw, Poland, on July 15th, 1936. After World War II, her family moved to Ostroda, a town located in a great lakes region, where she had her first experience on a yacht. From then on, she fell in love with big ships and decided to pursue a career in ship construction engineering. Krystyna attended the Gdansk University of Technology, where she studied ship construction engineering. After graduation, she began designing and building ships, a profession that would prove to be beneficial in her future solo sailing journey.

Krystyna also shared her love of sailing with her husband, Wacklaw Liskiewicz, a fellow yacht constructor. Wacklaw would oversee the construction of her custom yacht for her eventual solo voyage. In 1966, Krystyna earned her captain’s certificate and began sailing on various voyages with different crews. One of her earliest forays into caring for a yacht alone was sailing from the northern Baltic Sea to the Gulf of Bothnia as part of a two-person crew.

The United Nations declared 1975 as the International Women’s Year, and the Polish Sailing Association seized this as an opportunity to promote Polish sailing by having a woman sailor embark on the first solo sailing trip around the world. Poland was more known for its culture and history than sailing at the time, so this seemed ambitious all-around. Krystyna’s yacht was named Mazurek, which is a traditional Polish music genre, and was transported from Gdansk to the Canary Islands, where she would begin her solo sailing journey.

Aboard her yacht were supplies, tools, a radiotelephone, maps, and a shotgun for pirates and other “potential wrong-doers.” She first departed from the Canary Islands on March 10, 1976, but was forced back due to autohelm malfunctions. She then left on March 28 for real. Krystyna sailed from the Canary Islands west across the Atlantic and reached Barbados one month after leaving the Canary Islands. Her journey was not without its difficulties, as she experienced engine malfunctions, which took five weeks to fix in Panama.

Krystyna then ventured through the Panama Canal and sailed across the Pacific to Australia. In Australia, she was hospitalized for several weeks due to a significant kidney issue but resumed her voyage after she was well. She set sail for Cape Town via the Indian Ocean, eventually arriving in early 1978. She replenished her supplies, inspected her yacht, and left for the final leg of her journey on February 5, 1978.

During her journey, Krystyna encountered fierce storms in the South Atlantic ocean, to the point that the world feared she was lost at sea. However, she reestablished radio contact, and the last leg of her journey was perhaps the smoothest of the entire journey. She eventually landed back at the Canary Islands on March 20, 1978. Her journey took 401 days (travel days), traversing 28,696 miles.

Although Krystyna made history by becoming the first woman to sail solo around the world, the World Sailing Speed Record Council does not recognize circumnavigations through the Panama Canal. Therefore, Naomi James is officially recognized as the first, as she finished her voyage a month after Krystyna. However, Krystyna was selected as Gdansk’s Citizen of the Year in 1978 and awarded the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Polonia.

Krystyna’s voyage was a significant achievement for women in sailing and for Poland’s sailing community. Her determination and courage in the face of challenges, including illness and storms, inspired many others to take up sailing and follow in her footsteps.

Krystyna’s legacy continues to live on, both in Poland and around the world. She remains a symbol of strength and resilience, a role model for women in sailing and beyond. Her book, Pierwsza Dookota Swiata, has been translated into multiple languages and serves as a testament to her incredible journey.

Krystyna’s death in June 2021 was a loss for the sailing community and for Poland. However, her spirit and legacy continue to inspire generations to come. Her story reminds us of the power of determination, passion, and the strength of the human spirit.

Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz was a trailblazer in the world of sailing, becoming the first woman to sail solo around the world in 1978. Her journey was filled with challenges and obstacles, but she persevered and inspired countless others to take up sailing and follow their dreams. Her legacy lives on today, serving as a symbol of strength, resilience, and determination.

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Bessie Coleman, Queen of the Skies

Born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas, Bessie Coleman’s life journey was full of challenges and obstacles. However, with a passion for flying, determination, and resilience, she became the first African American and Native American woman to obtain an international pilot’s license. Bessie’s story is one of perseverance and defying the odds, as she rose from an impoverished background to become a successful aviator who inspired many.

Bessie was born to a family of 12 (or 13?) children, in a community near Paris, Texas, where nine Black men were lynched between 1890 and 1920. She experienced firsthand the segregation and racism that were rampant in her community. Black citizens were not allowed to use public facilities or transportation, meaning Bessie had to walk four miles to school at age six. The school itself was not well equipped, and students were not even guaranteed to have pencils and paper.

Bessie’s parents separated when her father moved to Oklahoma in search of better opportunities and to escape racism. However, her mother and the children stayed behind in Texas, moving to Waxahachie at some point in time. To earn money for school, Bessie helped her mother with laundry services and picking cotton. Despite financial constraints, she was determined to pursue her education.

At age 18, she enrolled at Langston University, but had to drop out after one semester due to lack of tuition funds. This setback did not deter her from pursuing her dreams. In 1915, she moved to Chicago and joined some of her brothers, attending the Burnham School of Beauty Culture. After World War I, Bessie’s brothers returned from Europe and began to regale her with stories of French women who attended flight school and obtained their pilot’s licenses. This sparked a fire in Bessie’s heart, and she became determined to become a pilot.

Initially, Bessie applied to numerous flight schools in the US, but her applications were rejected because of her race and gender.

However, Robert Abbott, a newspaper publisher, and one of the nation’s first African American millionaires, suggested that she apply to French flight schools. Abbott also helped partially fund her trip to France to attend flight school. Despite not knowing French, Bessie was undeterred and started taking night lessons to learn French so she could fill out the application forms in French. She was finally accepted to the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France, where she received her international pilot’s license from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale on June 15, 1921, after seven months of training. This made her the first woman of African American and Native American heritage to hold a pilot’s license.

After earning her license, Bessie traveled to Germany, where she received further training from former World War I flying aces. She then returned to the United States, where she began performing tricks and giving speeches to raise money to open her own flight school and buy her own plane. However, Bessie is also recognized for her staunch opposition to segregation. She refused to speak or perform shows at places that were segregated or did not admit African Americans. She also encouraged women and African Americans to learn to fly and even halted a flight show one time at a stadium in Texas until they did away with the segregated entrances and allowed everyone to enter through one entrance.

In 1922, Bessie performed the first public flight by an African American woman and became famous for her loop-the-loops and figure 8 formations. She was invited as a guest of honor to a showing of Shuffle Along, an all-Black musical, with Mattel’s “Inspiring Women” line of dolls. The Bessie Coleman doll is designed to inspire young girls to pursue their dreams and break down barriers, just as Bessie did.

Bessie Coleman’s legacy as the first African American and Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license is still felt today. She was not only a pioneer in aviation, but also in the fight for civil rights and equality. Her courage and determination paved the way for future generations of women and people of color to pursue their dreams, despite facing discrimination and obstacles.

Her story is a reminder that no matter where you come from or what challenges you face, you have the power to achieve greatness. Bessie Coleman’s life and achievements continue to inspire people around the world to pursue their dreams, and to work towards a future where everyone has equal opportunities and rights.

Bessie Coleman’s life was marked by poverty, segregation, and discrimination, but she refused to let those obstacles hold her back. She was determined to pursue her dream of flying, even if it meant traveling to France to attend flight school. Her perseverance, bravery, and trailblazing spirit made her a true pioneer in aviation and civil rights. Bessie Coleman’s legacy continues to inspire people around the world to reach for the skies and break down barriers.

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