Sailing: Northland gets chance to mingle with Lisa Blair

Lisa Blair will be coming to Opua next Sunday to talk about her sailing adventures. PHOTO/DEAN COOPMAN

Any Northlander who has ever thought of sailing long distances solo would be well served to meet with Australian Lisa Blair.

Blair is the first woman to ever sail solo around Antarctica and will be coming to Opua as part of a talking tour to raise money for her next challenge.

That challenge is attempting to become the first woman to sail solo around Australia later this year before trying to become the first person to circumnavigate the Arctic solo, non-stop and unassisted in 2020.

Blair said she needed a challenge to try make a name for herself and the Southern Ocean seemed the perfect fit.

"I'm fascinated by the Southern Ocean," she said.

"It was always my favourite place to sail. It's rough as guts but it's absolutely beautiful, breathtaking and an incredible part of the world."

Blair will be at the Opua Crusing Club on May 20 for the talk that starts at 6.45pm.

Last year she took on her solo Antarctica voyage and succeeded despite dismasting 1000 miles (1609km) from help.

The first 72 days of the challenge and was on track to break the record of 100 days, however a piece of rigging wire snapped which could have proved perilous for Blair.

"When I looked forward, all I could see was my mast dancing like a hula girl, bending and flexing like crazy," she said.

"The mast was unsupported so broke and came down in 7-8m swell and 40 knots of wind. It was like a 22m long spear attached to the boat.

"The biggest risk was that it would get pulled off the deck of the boat in the next wave and puncture the hull so it was a race against time to try to get rid of it fast enough to save the boat."

She fixed the issue well enough to get home.

Australia is next on the list which, paradoxically, presents even more challenges than Antarctica.

One of the biggest is traffic considering that, apart from the container ship that came to her aid, she saw only one blip on her radar throughout her entire journey.

Add in reefs, rocks and constant changes in wind direction (the Southern Ocean is largely downwind sailing the whole time) and sleep is going to be a luxury.

"Then I have plans to try to become the first person to sail solo non-stop and unassisted around the Arctic," Blair said.

"Why not?"