A mum who battled choppy seas while sailing around Great Britain on her own, says her late husband was with her “in spirit”.

Three days before Jo Fray was originally supposed to set off from Queenborough, her partner Geoff had a massive stroke.

It had taken her two years to plan the trip but after Geoff fell ill in April 2022 she immediately decided to cancel it to take care of him.

“He initially had a stroke in 2014, but pretty much recovered from it,” she added. “The next one was very different.

“It was heartbreaking for both of us. He was the absolute love of my life.

“We did everything we could, but this time nothing came back.

“He lost the whole of his left side – he couldn't walk, talk or swallow. I had to feed him with a tube.”

Geoff passed away in June 2023 at the age of 76.

He was a sailor, engineer and owner of Mantid Marina in Rushenden Road.

The pair were together for 10 years and were initially friends through the boating industry.

Geoff had gifted the yacht, a 31ft Mediterranean Benito Oceanis called Florence, for her journey.

The 59-year-old said: “I've always been one for a challenge. I've been sailing for 30 years.

“I started as a dinghy sailor and then progressed into yachting.

“After he died the boat was just sitting there and I knew he'd want me to do it.

“He was never going to come with me, but he would have supported me through on the phone every day.”

She set sail on April 7 and after exactly five months, arrived back on Saturday, September 7.

Jo passed through the 60-mile Caledonian Canal in Inverness twice and tackled Pentland Firth, a dangerous piece of water due to having the most powerful tidal currents in the world.

Throughout her travels, she also had the challenging task of docking in 52 different harbours.

The mum-of-two says she had never been past Lowestoft in Suffolk before, so the rest of the journey was a complete unknown.

“It did feel like I dropped off the end of the world sailing through The Wash,” she explained.

“The first thing that I had to cope with was the swells, as they are very big.

“It was a different kettle of fish to what I was used to once you’re in the North Sea.

“The East Coast of England – all the way up to Inverness – has lots of fog at this time of year.”

One of her lowest points was having to cross the Bristol Channel, with Jo facing a 14-hour shift on the boat.

“There’s nothing to break up the Atlantic swell,” she added.

“I did it overnight due to the tides and it was all through the night for 70 miles.

“I had to stay awake as you must keep watch at all times. I think that was probably my worst one.”

In total, Jo covered around 2,025 miles.

Despite completing the journey single-handedly, she believes her husband was with her “in spirit”.

She said: “I've had an immense amount of luck and felt as if he was smoothing my way like God and Moses.

“It was just so easy - as if the boat knew what it was doing.

“I think Geoff was looking down on me. He was with me all the way.”

There was a welcome party held at the All Tide Landing in Queenborough on the day she returned home.

As her boat arrived at the marina, others from the local yacht club followed and sounded their fog horns in celebration.

Reflecting on the journey, she said: “I thought I was going to be on my own and not really speak to anyone.

“I just didn't realise how friendly people were going to be.

“I think they warmed to me more because I'm a bit of a novelty – I'm a woman doing it on her own.

“I loved every single minute of it. It also made me realise what a beautiful island I live on.”

She added: “I've got such good family and friends.

“It's only when you go away and do something like that, you appreciate what you've got on your doorstep.”

Jo plans to challenge herself even further by buying a bigger boat and attempting to sail around the world for her 60th birthday.