The 32-year-old sailor and adventurer Lisa Blair from Australia has recommenced her Antarctica circumnavigation journey.
She departed from the Royal Cape Yacht Club in Cape Town on 11th June 2017 last Sunday. She left at 11 am CAT.
Lisa is looking to create a new record of sorts by becoming the solo woman sailor to circumnavigate Antarctica all by herself. She is sailing without any crew or assistance. Lisa had to abandon her sail on 4 April 2017 when the port shroud of the Climate Action Now vessel broke. She was 895nm south of Cape Town and had issued a PAN then. She had to brave through winds up to the speed of 40 knots and 7m. It swelled her yacht.
Lisa was able to somehow safely bring her yacht to Cape Town to carry out the repairs. She got her boat fuelled on April 7 from the M.V. Eastern Mercury and safely moved on to Cape Town using a motor and jury rig. She reached Cape Town on April 12, 2017.
Lisa is a strong woman and did not want to give up her recorded attempt. She spent two months getting her Climate Action Now yacht repaired and ready to commence her Antarctica circumnavigation sail. The yacht now has new mast and there have been repairs done to the hull, electrical and the navigation systems of the yacht.
Lisa said that she was very happy to get the yacht readied and is happy to be sailing again. She said that the conditions of the sea would be different at this time of the year and would have new challenges for her. She knows that the path ahead is a treacherous one, especially at the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Agulhas. But, she is prepared for the challenge.
She has now been five months away from her family and wants to sail back soon to Albany to see her family again.