People: Crazy trip around Antarctica: Interview with record holder Lisa Blair

Until the very end, she never dared to believe that it would work this time. The 37-year-old Australian solo sailor Lisa Blair was on the verge of beating Fedor Konyukhov's record. It had taken the Russian just over 102 days to sail completely around Antarctica in 2008. At the end of May, when Blair turned north from the 45th parallel towards the Australian coast, from where she had started around three months earlier, she was ahead. But now, of all times, a storm front from the fifth continent was heading south-west, right towards the sailor.

For six tough days, Blair battled the wind and waves in her 15-metre regatta yacht "Climate Action Now", endlessly changing sails and trying not to take any risks. She noted in her blog: "Oh my God, I've had the most exciting 48 hours. The 91st day was supposed to be the last full day at sea, but I still had 150 miles to go. The wind made me fight for every mile, sometimes blowing at ten knots and then suddenly at 35 knots. So at midnight I decided to slow the boat down so that I could arrive at dawn later than I had hoped, but safely."

Lisa Blair was truly given nothing on this trip.

On 25 May, she finally sailed to the finish line in Albany at the south-western tip of Australia. She travelled 92 days, 18 hours and 20 seconds - a whole ten days less than the Russian Konyukhov. Lisa Blair now holds the record for the fastest unassisted solo journey around the South Pole without stopping. In fact, only two other sailors have completed this route before her; she is the first woman.

Blair's sailing career began with a student job in the Australian Whitsundays, a beautiful archipelago off the east coast. In 2011/12, she took part in the Clipper Round the World Race and worked for Alex Thomson in his Hugo Boss-sponsored Open 60 campaign. Single-handed sailors like Robin Knox-Johnston, Kay Cottee and Jesse Martin inspired her to pursue her own solo career, she says. She started training, gaining single-handed experience and convincing sponsors. In 2015, she bought her boat, a racing yacht that was already twelve years old at the time.

As a sailor, the sea is very close to her heart and she is committed to protecting it. "Climate Action Now" is therefore decorated all over with citizens' suggestions for climate protection.

Their first Antarctic record attempt in 2017 ended abruptly after around three quarters of the route on day 72: the mast broke in the Southern Ocean. An immense disappointment. In her book "Facing Fear", she describes the dangerous situation and the resulting temporary end to her dream: she separated the rig from the boat, provisionally plugged a leak in the hull, took on diesel from a container ship and then travelled 1,000 nautical miles under emergency rigging and with the help of the engine, all the way to South Africa. Two months later, she was back at sea and continued on her course to Australia. But the record remained with Konyukhov. But Lisa Blair did not give up.

After her failed Antarctic record attempt, she became the first woman to circumnavigate the entire Australian continent unassisted. In 2017, she also took part in the infamous Sydney to Hobart Race with a female crew. It was the first female team in this race for 16 years. But Antarctica remained unfinished business for her. Until 25 May this year.

YACHT: Lisa, you were ten days faster than the previous record holder. When did you know that your lead would hold?

Lisa Blair: After the unexpected mast breakage last time, I didn't dare to hope that I would make it to the finish line. You always need a bit of luck, even with very good preparation.

What changes have you made to the boat after the catastrophic accident in 2017?

We carried out a complete hull check and, in particular, touched up the repairs that had been carried out in South Africa after the accident. We also put a new mast on the boat. In addition, I always had the feeling that the rudder was undersized. During an inspection, we actually discovered a serious crack in the rudder blade. If I had started the new record attempt with it, it would definitely have broken on the way! So we installed a completely new rudder.

Any more?

Yes, I also bought a new battery management system and new solar panels. And Volvo Penta sponsored me a 50 hp biodiesel engine. I had 800 litres of recycled vegetable oil from a fish and chip shop with me as fuel. Whenever I started the engine to charge the batteries, the boat smelled of fried fish and chips. The bigger problem, however, was that the biofuel thickens as soon as the outside temperature drops. So a system had to be found to preheat the diesel.

Have you never considered an electric motor?

Considering how remote my course was, it seemed too risky; the technology is not yet fully developed. But I would certainly consider it in the future.

Getting the budget together for the first record attempt was a feat of strength. How did it go this time?

I was lucky to have the tech company Canva as my main sponsor. The company wants to make a commitment to the environment and nominates ambassadors like me. I was also able to count on the support of two other larger companies. But none of that would have been enough. That's why I offered length grades for 1,200 Australian dollars, which you could sponsor. A lot of money was raised this way. In the end, it was just enough. The hardest thing is always getting to the starting line.

During the first attempt five years ago, you had a lot of heavy weather. The mast also came down in the storm. How difficult were the conditions this time?

They were even more aggressive! Much colder, more snow, more blizzards. And five-storey wave crests! I only measured a top wind speed of 60 knots this time, compared to over 80 knots during the previous attempt. But the icy cold put a lot more strain on the sails and rigging. I survived three violent storms in which the boat was lifted up and thrown down again like a toy by the waves. It flipped 160 degrees on its side, the water from the bilge ran up to the cabin ceiling!

How do you protect the ship, but above all yourself, from damage or injury in such situations?

Of course, I follow the weather very closely, I analyse the forecasts and barometer readings. I also wear special protective clothing day and night to cushion falls or impacts. And if the conditions are particularly bad, I put on a helmet. I tie myself down in the bunk so that I don't get thrown out. In the navigation corner or elsewhere, I try to wedge myself in - for example, when I'm turning round to weather a storm.

Is there even enough time for this during such a record journey?

Of course, there were always tactical considerations involved. Depending on how big or small my lead over Fedor was. Basically, however, the following applies to me: getting there is the most important thing, and safety and survival have absolute priority over speed. I didn't injure myself on the journey, I was very careful given the fact that I was sailing all alone in extremely remote areas. I made many sail changes when fronts were approaching and then waited.

Did everything on the boat hold up?

No, I broke a lot of rotor blades for the wind generator. They simply couldn't withstand the strength of the wind. And I had a substantial crack in the tree. When I discovered this, I stopped using the boom vang as a precaution. There were also problems with the steering system. Its attachment came loose from the fuselage. I had to build a temporary bracket and lash everything down. I also had broken battens and broken lines.

What would you have done if the control system had gone completely?

I had an angle grinder and fibreglass mats with me, I would have had to spend a few days turning and trying to repair it. Under the given wind and wave conditions, however, that would certainly have been very difficult.

Your boat is called "Climate Change Now". Have you collected samples for scientific purposes along the way?

Yes, I had a micro-lab with me from the Ocean Race that automatically took samples. It analysed the water 180 times on the way. I also deployed weather buoys and an Argo research buoy, which records a wide range of marine data. And I took part in the "Seabed 2030" project, in which yachts around the world log the seabed to create an atlas of the seabed. Last but not least, my cruise was even good for medical study purposes: specifically, it was about documenting signs of listlessness and making the recordings available for a scientific research project on chronic fatigue syndrome.

Now that you have set the Antarctic round record: What's next?

I'm constantly coming up with ideas for new records. For example, I could sail single-handed westwards around the world, against the prevailing wind direction. Or make my way around the South Pole again, but this time on foot. But first I want to try to break the record set in 2020 from Sydney to Auckland in New Zealand. And what I would really love to do one day is sail non-stop and single-handed around the world in the Vendée Globe.