In the realm of solo sailing, Lisa Blair stands as a beacon of courage and determination. Renowned for her remarkable feats at sea, Lisa’s gripping documentary, “Ice Maiden,” captures her attempt to achieve an unprecedented milestone.
Embarking on a journey where survival is the only game, in this blog post you will get a glimpse of her preparation and her thoughts on the environmental impact of sailing.
Q: What mental strategies do you employ to stay focused and motivated during long journeys?
Lisa: Managing my sleep was key, but also making sure I had enough entertainment. When I wasn’t sleeping, eating, sailing, or fixing things, I would need something to do. So, I took lots of books on my Kindle and would end up reading about a book a day on average. I would also talk with my shore team and family once a week for a few minutes, and this always raised my spirits. Once, I did a radio interview with three people live on air, and it was the first time that I had had a group conversation in months. I was so excited that I couldn’t stop smiling for days afterwards.
Q: Are there any mistakes or challenges you faced that others can learn from?
Lisa: Your support network is critical. There were so many times where a sage piece or advice or encouragement was all I needed to keep going when I was on the edge of quitting so make sure that those around you support your vision for your goals/life and will help steer you back to the path even if you can’t see your way through the storms.
Impact on the Environment:
Q: Now we know you are heavily involved in climate action having started your own ‘Climate Action Now’ initiative. With that in mind –
How do you approach sustainability and minimise your environmental impact?
Lisa: I am a huge believer that we as individuals have so much power to create action. It is about getting everyone to do as many small changes as they can, I personally made a choice to go vegan (I was previously vegetarian), I have learnt so much more about things like the impacts of plastic on our oceans so I can’t even accept a shopping bag now, fruit bag or god forbid a disposable coffee cup, instead if I forget my keep cup I will simply have the coffee there. I try to spend my money on the sustainable choice with the knowledge that I am voting for more of that in the future with my dollar. There is so much we can do but understanding that you have a responsibility towards the future you want and that starts with taking positive actions towards our environments.
Q: During solo voyages?
Lisa: When I first sailed around the world with a crew of 16 people we were all hand steering and so someone was looking at the ocean the whole time, the volume of trash we sailed past was sickening and this was over a decade ago. The weather is getting harder to predict and sometimes you sail through sections of the ocean that just feel dead, you can’t see any birds, fish or any feeling of life.
Q: What do you think the sailing community can do to promote eco-friendly practices?
Lisa: I think that everyone can do so much to promote eco-friendly practices but as an adventurer and sailor I get to visit some of the most remote and wonderful places on earth and so do many others in this space. I truly believe that we have a responsibility to share the stories of those places with those who can’t get there, after all we only protect what we love and if we can’t see it we won’t protect it so I think sailors have a real opportunity to influence change.
See Lisa’s mind blowing voyage in the film “Ice Maiden” only screening at an Ocean Film festival event- find one near you and book tickets HERE now!
You will also find the full exclusive interview in our program at the 2024 film festival- you’ll definitely want to get your hands on one of those!
