Sydney to Auckland: 8 days.
Crossing the Ditch for Climate Action Now, Lisa smashed the solo record by more than four days.
The record
Crossing the Ditch for Climate Action Now
Lisa set two new World Sailing Speed Records: the fastest person and the first woman to sail solo from Sydney to Auckland, finishing in 8 days, 3 hours and 19 minutes. The previous record, 12 days 14 hours 41 minutes, was set in January 2020 by retired Australian veteran James Prascevic.
The 1,400-plus nautical mile crossing threw everything at her: fluky winds, lightning storms, 30-knot squalls followed by hours of calm, a knockdown and close encounters with ships. She was greeted at the finish off Rangitoto Island by a hooting crowd and escorted to Westhaven Marina by hosts RNZYS.
"On this trip the weather and seas threw every element at me, and because it was a short window I hardly slept and really pushed the whole way. The boat performed superbly, but I am pretty exhausted." Lisa Blair
Why she sailed it
Lisa used the record to share what she found in Antarctica: every microplastic sample contained plastic, and 64.8% of the microplastics were fibres from the textile industry. The highest concentration, found in the waters below Australia, was equivalent to 357,500 particles in an Olympic-sized pool.
"People won't protect what they can't understand, so I try to share my love of the ocean and this planet with my records. I think adventurers have a responsibility to become storytellers and communicators."
Watch the crossing
Lisa sailed this record with Starlink on board, so instead of written blogs she shared it as video diaries on her social media.
Next: the Arctic
In June 2028 Lisa sets out to become the first person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the Arctic Circle.
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