Sailor Lisa Blair arrives in Albany after smashing Antarctic circumnavigation world record

Sailor Lisa Blair arrived victorious in Albany on Wednesday morning, setting a new world record for the fastest solo non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of Antarctica. Completing a full circuit of Antarctica from Albany and back in 92 days, 18 hours and 14 minutes, she smashed Russian adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov’s record of 102 days. Setting foot on dry land for the first time on the jetty at Albany marina on Wednesday, Ms Blair said breaking the record was “a pretty big deal for me”. “I first committed to the goal of trying to set this world record in 2014, so it’s actually been an eight-year journey,” she said. “It took me 4½ years to get to the point where I left on the first record, and then it’s taken me five years since the dismasting and the 2017 record to get to this point. “And now I’ve done it, and I’ve shaved 10 days off the record and had the most amazing adventure and terrifying moments and epically amazing moments.” Her attempt at the record in 2017 was thwarted when a Southern Ocean storm destroyed her boat’s mast after 72 days of sailing. After having to stop in Cape Town to repair her boat, she went on to become the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica with one stop. She left Albany on her second attempt in February, and although the record is still to be verified by the World Sailing Speed Record Council before it is made official, she was already reflecting on what the achievement meant to her. “To be able to have met Fyodor Konyukhov in 2014 and to have sat down with the guy and have a cup of tea and hear his story back then and then to be here today breaking his record, eight years later — I mean, words cant even describe how amazing that opportunity is,” Ms Blair said. “He’s such a leader for people in adventure and his goal was to go out and set records so people like me can come behind and break them and now I’ve done that. “So I’ll just have to chase down his next record.” While she has been sailing aboard her yacht, Climate Action Now, Ms Blair has not only been focusing on breaking the record but has also collected scientific data for the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO. She collected more than 180 individual samples of microplastics she found in the Antarctic waters. Despite spending 92 days alone at sea, Ms Blair was in high spirits on Wednesday, and was looking forward to catching up with friends and family after seeing only two other ships during her journey. Ms Blair was also pining for a hot shower, after admitting she had not been able to wash her hair for the whole journey because she only had cold water on board and could not run the risk of hypothermia in the Antarctic winds. “Last night at 4am, trying to make myself presentable for all of you on dry land, I had a really miserable bucket bath in the floor of the toilet and washed my hair,” she said. “So a real shower is wonderful when I get that opportunity.” Ms Blair will soon be sailing again to return to Sydney. Her next ocean adventure could come quickly, with Ms Blair promising “there’s definitely more to come”.