Last week Lisa Blair was officially recognised by the World Sailing Speed Record Council as the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica with one stop. Proudly supported by Wichard Pacific, Lisa set an overall record time of 183 Days 7 Hours 21 Minutes and 38 Seconds. During her world record attempt Lisa faced 10+ meter  waves, cyclonic winds, snow storms and loneliness. Lisa suffered a dismasting on day 72 of her record ¾ of the way around the world, accepted fuel from a passing containership,  built a jury rig and motor sailed her way to Cape Town. 2 Months later she once again set off for sea to complete the final leg of her journey.

Following on from this amazing journey, Lisa has just announced that she will be racing her yacht Climate Action Now in the 2017 Rolex Sydney to Hobart yacht race with an all-female crew. Lisa said:

“It has been years since this iconic race has seen an all-female crew competing, and in my mind there should be many more boats like mine racing with all female crew or female skippers.”

“In past races there has been less than 5% of the vessels competing with a female boat owner or skipper and I hope that by leading the way more amazing female sailors will get out and give sailing and offshore racing a go.”

Lisa has not yet finalised her crew but will be working on this over the coming months. Climate Action Now is a Hick 50 (formally known as Funnel-Web) and Lisa will be racing with a total of 8 crew.

“As much as we don’t wish to admit it sailing is still a largely male dominated sport and while many boats are becoming more inclusive with mixed teams I would like to help inspire more woman to take up sailing or ocean racing.”

“A big part of this campaign for me is to offer mentor positions on-board Climate Action Now and offer opportunities to young woman that might not have had the chance before.”

If you are interested in getting involved or supporting Lisa’s campaign for the 2017 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race than you can contact her via her website. www.LisaBlairSailstheWorld.com