Jazz Turner from Seaford receives Duchess of Kent Trophy after cancelling plans to sail around the world due to life-limiting condition
Sailor Jazz Turner from Seaford has been awarded the Duchess of Kent Trophy by the Cruising Association (CA).
The CA announced at www.theca.org.uk that the trophy recognises Jazz’s ‘extraordinary, record-breaking solo, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland’ in June 2025.
Jazz, then 26, spent 28 days on the waves, having set sail from Brighton Marina on June 2 to travel 2,070 miles. Her ‘Project Fear’ challenge smashed its fundraising target of £30,000 and raised more than £58,000 for Newhaven and Seaford Sailability at www.gofundme.com/f/project-fear.
The CA said Jazz ‘sealed her name in history’ as the first woman and first disabled person to complete this circumnavigation.
CA president Robin Baron said at www.theca.org.uk: “Jazz’s courage, skill and determination represent a landmark moment for inclusive sailing. By pushing the limits of endurance and seamanship, she has inspired sailors everywhere to challenge assumptions about what is possible on the water and what can be achieved.”
The CA explained that the Duchess of Kent Trophy is awarded to ‘any sailor, not necessarily a member, who has achieved something exceptional in or around small boats’. They said Jazz’s achievements embody this spirit and place her among past recipients like Kirsten Neuschäfer, Jimmy Cornell and Pip Hare. Jazz said it was an honour to be awarded the trophy.
Jazz has the degenerative condition Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which is not usually terminal. But she explained on her website www.projectfear.uk that her condition progressed to the point where she received a terminal diagnosis.
After completing her circumnavigation of the UK and Ireland, Jazz, who is now 27, announced plans to take on the ‘Everest’ of sailing, which is a solo, non-stop and unassisted journey around the globe in the WorldStar Race.
But Jazz announced on her Facebook page on December 4 last year that she has had to cancel these plans. She said: “This is not the update I was ever hoping to have to write. My condition has progressed and my body is no longer coping. This marks the end of Project Fear and means I will not be attempting to sail around the world next year. The focus is now on end of life care and the priority is to make me comfortable for whatever time I have left.”
In a January 19 Facebook update Jazz explained she had been managing symptoms with help from her hospice and family and had seen ‘slow and small’ improvements in her health. She was able to go sailing again and said she was ‘starting to look to the future and what small goals might be possible’.
Jazz was unable to attend the trophy presentation but Fiona Slay from the CA accepted it on her behalf and presented the trophy to Jazz at home, which Jazz said was ‘incredibly kind’. The trophy was awarded by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston at the CA’s Flag Officers’ Lunch on Saturday, January 17, at CA House in London.
Robin Baron called Jazz ‘a true trailblazer’, saying: “The CA is immensely proud to celebrate her extraordinary accomplishment.”
People find out more about Jazz and her sailing at www.projectfear.uk or follow her at www.facebook.com/jazturnersailing or www.instagram.com/jazturnersailing.