Lisa Blair is an Australian solo-sailor, world multi-record holder, climate activist and lover of the Southern Ocean.

In this episode Lisa talks with us about her new feature documentary Ice Maiden – the story of her epic 2017 voyage to set a record-breaking circumnavigation of Antarctica. 

She shares her insights into the terror and beauty of surviving multiple near-death experiences; how she faces fear, her resilience and mental preparation, and the impact of documenting her adventure in her new feature documentary.

Lisa was a joy to talk with – with so much enthusiasm given she was recovering from setting a new solo-sailing record from Australia to New Zealand! I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did – and look forward to seeing the film.

Ice Maiden premiers at the Doc Edge Film Festival in Otāutahi Christchurch 19 June 2024.

Get tickets to the DocEdge Film Festival

Follow Lisa’s journey at upcoming solo-sailing record attempts at Lisa Blair Sails the World

Episode Notes | Lisa Blair

01:30 Ice Maiden the film

3:38 Facing fear

6:00 Leaving Cape Town for winter conditions in Antarctica

7:14 Trauma in the southern ocean

8:50 Resilience and reframing thoughts when shit hits the fan

10:35 Visualising worst case scenarios

12:11 A love of the southern ocean 

14:14 What solo sailing is really about

15:18 Breaking down assumptions 

16:00 The approach of solo-sailing for a record

18:54 Self-steering and self-preservation

19:58 Electrical issues and bailing for life 

20:44 Is there any comfort onboard

Read more on Lisa Blair at Saltwater Journal

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