Please select your home edition
Edition
Sydney International On-Water Boat Show 2025

Lisa Blair becomes first woman to circumnavigate Antarctica solo

by Luke Reilly on 24 Sep 2017
B&G navigation equipment aids Lisa in her remarkable journey Luke Reilly
The World Sailing Speed Record Council has officially ratified Lisa Blair’s circumnavigation of Antarctica, a 183 day long journey. Lisa’s solo and unassisted circumnavigation was not short of challenges, with seven metre seas and 40 knot winds leading to the dismasting of her 50ft yacht, Climate Action Now, just 72 days in.

Lisa avoided injury, but was forced to detour to Cape Town to assess damage and conduct repairs, before returning to her point of dismasting to continue the circumnavigation. In planning for a journey of this magnitude, Lisa considered necessary redundancies that needed to be built into her yacht, opting for two separate B&G H5000 autopilots and Zeus² navigation displays for safety.

Lisa said, “The interface of the B&G Zeus displays made it easy for me to keep track of where I was the whole way around Antarctica. I had one of these displays mounted in my cabin, so as I could check the winds, heading, and alter my autopilot course whilst lying in bed.”



A H5000 barometric pressure sensor was also networked into the B&G system.

“I’d monitor the barometric pressure on the Zeus displays. It was a great indicator as to when a storm was coming, but also useful when I was in one of the really big storms to know when it had actually passed me and I was coming out the back end of the system,” she said.

On approach to Cape Town Lisa was in a pan situation. Whilst heading north through busy shipping lanes, her safety depended on the ability to identify and communicate with targets. “Given that I had the B&G 4G radar on board and AIS, I was able to sleep well knowing the electronics would pick up any vessels or icebergs that would be in my area. This meant I was as rested as could be for emergencies like my dismasting.”

Lisa won’t be on dry land for long, with plans to begin preparation for the Sydney to Hobart and another long term voyage next year.

For more information on B&G products, please visit bandg.com/au.

X-Yachts X4.0Excess CatamaransMarkSetBot

Related Articles

2025 Dutch Water Week overall
From experiment to future The Dutch Water Week concluded today with the pilot finals of the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS).
Posted today at 7:49 am
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 preview
3000 miles, one epic challenge The RORC Transatlantic Race in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France will start from Marina Lanzarote on 11th January 2026.
Posted today at 7:32 am
Aussies take it on in Geneva
Flying Roos back on top of SailGP season leaderboard after tough racing in Geneva The BONDS Flying Roos have reclaimed their lead in the 2025 Season standings after securing a hard-fought podium finish in “street fight” conditions at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva.
Posted today at 12:14 am
And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins.
Posted on 21 Sep
ILCA Announcement
Protecting the one-design integrity of the class ILCA's mission is to protect the integrity of strict one-design sailing—the principle that ensures every sailor competes on equal terms. This principle, enshrined in the ILCA Fundamental Rule, has been the foundation of our class's success.
Posted on 21 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe 2025: The summer of racing
Biotherm delivered a masterclass - Paprec Arkéa a lesson in consistency This Saturday, after a fiercely contested final race, the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe came to a close. It was a seven-week adventure from Germany to Montenegro, full of twists and turns, resilience, and raw emotion.
Posted on 21 Sep
Tornado Open, Mixed and Youth Europeans overall
Czech team dominated the event No more races were possible on the final day of the championship due to lack of wind, leaving the overall tally at five races sailed.
Posted on 21 Sep
Germany Deutsche Bank claim first SailGP event win
Race Day 2 of the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva.
Posted on 21 Sep
SailGP: Germany score first Event win - Day 2
The German crew led by Erik Heil sailed consistently, on a day where inconsistency was punished. Perhaps it was not surprising that in a nation known for its horology, that the time-clock should have played such a dominant role for the Final day of SailGP Switzerland.
Posted on 21 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week day 4
At the end of the city's main shopping street, spectators could watch the racing The penultimate day of the Dutch Water Week brought Olympic-class sailing and windsurfing right into the heart of Almere.
Posted on 21 Sep