Ann Davison (5 June 1913 – 12 May 1992) was an author and sailor. At the age of 39, she was the first woman to single-handedly sail the Atlantic Ocean. She departed Plymouth, England in her 23-foot boat Felicity Ann on 18 May 1952. Early life and education Margaret Ann Longstaffe was born on 5 June 1913, in Carshalton, South London, to Josephine (nee Pattison Boutflour) (1891–1928) and William Longstaffe, an accountant. She was interested in horses which led to a brief period at the London Veterinary College. She then became interested in planes and she trained as a pilot. She earned her pilot's licence on 5 February 1935 at the Insurance Flying Club in Hanworth, flying a De Havilland DH 60 Moth. She held a 'B' licence and worked as a freelance commercial pilot flying both people and cargo. She met owner and manager of Hooton Airfield, Frank Davison through this line of work, which led to his divorce from pilot Elsie Joy Davison, who later died in the service of the Air Transport Auxiliary during World War Two. The couple married in 1939 and Longstaffe became known as Ann Davison. Voyages In 1949 Ann and Frank Davison attempted to sail to the Caribbean, to start a new life. They hit bad weather and battled gales in the English Channel for 19 days. Their boat crashed against rocks in southern England, leading to Frank Davison's death the following morning. Ann Davison came close to death but survived. On 18 May 1952 Ann Davison set sail from Plymouth, England in her 23-foot boat Felicity Ann, having vowed to finish the journey she had originally set out on with her late husband. She landed in Brittany, Portugal, Morocco and the Canary Islands, before setting sail across the Atlantic on 20 November 1952, aiming to make land-fall in Antigua. In the event storms pushed her south and having been driven past Barbados she eventually touched land in Dominica on 23 January 1953. After an extended stopover in the Caribbean she sailed north to Florida and finally to New York by way of the Intracoastal Waterway. Books Davison was the author of several other autobiographical works. Her first two books Last Voyage: An Autobiographical Account of All That Led Up to an Illicit Voyage and the Outcome Thereof and Home was an Island were written and published in 1952 to pay off debts