On board interview with Lisa Blair - solo Antartica circumnavigation

by John Curnow on 8 Feb 2017 So far, Lisa is tracking very well in her attempt to become the first woman to sail solo around Antartica. After the setbacks of a delayed departure due to gremlins in the electronics, we are delighted to have these answers from her on board. She is well and enjoying her time. Climate Action Now, her Hick 50, left Albany in Western Australia on January 22, 2017.

How have the first two weeks gone. You and boat OK?

Feeling great actually. I have had more sleep in the last two weeks than I feel like I managed to get in the six months leading up to my departure. It was mayhem at my departure, so it has been great to just enjoy sailing. I have to admit that I was slightly nervous as I set off, and just kept sailing South to the 4th parallel. It just puts me in the middle of nowhere, where anything could happen. After my first blow I was totally fine, and got over the nerves. I am now just enjoying it.

Just how cold is it at present?

Not too bad at the moment. I am wearing a set of the Zhik® Hydrobase®, a fleece vest and fleece jumper, I also have added a beanie recently. When I go on deck I only add the Zhik foul weather gear.

Air temp at 10 degrees, sea temp 8-10 degrees, but when I need to do things on deck I find that my hands are red and get sore very quickly from the cold. Once or twice I have had them go so numb that I can’t tie the knots that I need to tie. I should probably start wearing gloves, but so far I haven’t been on deck for extended periods of time in those conditions. Thankfully.

What is your highest wind strength so far?

So far I have seen 53 knots, so quite mild really. Winds tend to have been jumping from 15 knots to 35 knots, and will cycle through at least twice a day. The maximum swell has been 7m.

What latitude you going to?

Well to comply with the race rules I can’t go above 45S or below 60S, however I will be mostly sitting around 50S where I am at the moment.

What is your best 24hr run to date?

I have been sailing very conservatively, as there is still a very long way to go, so my longest to date is 205nm on 24/01, and I have sailed just over 2 000nm so far. You can see my accurate daily update anytime.

How have you settled in to your routine, and for that matter, what is your routine?

I have settled in well, and in fact I have surprised myself with the ease of it all. Given that I am not pushing the boat, I have been quite content to leave a reef in, even if I could have shaken it out overnight etc. So I tend to start with waking up around 9am, check the boat, then download the latest weather from Bob at METBob, and send my position reports to Sue and Jeff - my shore team.

I then make a bowl of porridge, and maybe do another log? If there are jobs like sponging the bilges dry, or checking the wear on the sails and ropes, I will spend a bit of time on this. Around lunch, I have an Arbonne meal replacement protein shake, and some crackers with cheese, then keep working on what ever I was doing.

If I am not fixing things or sponging bilges I tend to read lots of books. Around 5.30pm I boot the computer up and do my blogs etc., maybe call mum, and have a chat. I tend to have one of the dehydrated main meals around 8pm.

I then check on every thing again, and try to get to bed before midnight. I have been able to get quite a lot of sleep in the evening on most nights, but I am still getting up 3 or 4 times to check the wind direction and sails through the night.

What has been the highlight?

I can’t really think of one specific time just yet – it’s early days. I was sitting on the bow this afternoon doing some maintenance with my feet dangling over the side, and I took a bit of time to just look around and enjoy the view. It’s moments like that that make a time like this pretty special really.

What has been the low light?

I have again surprised myself here. Normally I would be starting to get frustrated at this or that by now, but over all I am very content. I did give the boat a stern talking too the other night when the winds had dropped out, and I was rolling around in the big swell trying to make some dinner. I was just getting frustrated, as I couldn't even walk around the boat properly - it was rolling so badly. Unfortunately, my stern talk to the boat never did settle her down...

How are your spirits, given that you are such a positive person, and you are you rested, seeing as you had so much on before departure?

Yes there was definitely a lot on before departure. I feel very calm, even in the strong winds. Nothing so far has fazed me, and I keep reminding myself to take the time to simply enjoy this adventure I am on. I haven’t started to miss people yet, but it is early days. All in all very upbeat and positive.

Please stay tuned for more updates from on board Climate Action Now as Lisa Blair does indeed sail the world...