Teresa Remiszewska

Teresa Remiszewska was a Polish sailor, yacht captain, sailing instructor and pioneer of women's solo sailing in Poland. She was also a journalist and jailed in late 1982 for her political activism. She was the first Polish woman to make a solo voyage around the Baltic Sea on the yacht Zenit in 1970, and the fourth woman in sailing history to cross the Atlantic alone on the yacht Komodor in 1972. She wrote a book about her oceanic voyage titled Out of the Bitterness of Salt, My Joy. She married Jerzy Damsz, the last commander of the 307th Night Fighter Squadron in England, and returned to Poland with him. She was accused of espionage by the communist authorities and prevented from organizing the first solo female sailing voyage around the world. She worked in the magazine Sails and Motor Yachting and was a member of the Solidarity trade union. She was detained and arrested during martial law for her independent activities. She translated Norman Davies' work White Eagle, Red Star, covering the Polish–Soviet War and printed by an underground publisher. She was honored with several awards and recognitions for her sailing achievements and contributions to Polish culture. She died in 2002 in Sopot at the age of 73.