High profile yachtswoman and Australian adventurer, Lisa Blair, made history as the first all-female double-handed team to race in the 2019 Melbourne to Hobart Yacht Race, placing first in her division.
Joining Lisa on her newly retitled yacht d’Albora / Climate Action Now, co-skipper Jackie Parry is an experienced sailor who has strong support of women on the water and conducts maritime navigation courses. Working in partnership with d’Albora Marinas, Lisa’s double-handed race aimed to encourage more women to pursue sailing careers and to continue to promote positive environmental messages. The Sunshine Coast-born sailor is on a mission to break records and leave her mark in both the sailing and climate action worlds. Holding multi-records at 35 years of age, Lisa is the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica, the first woman to sail solo and non-stop around Australia and the first all-female team in 16 years to race the Rolex 2017 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. This will be Lisa’s first time in the Melbourne to Hobart race.
Lisa discovered sailing at the age of 22 when she secured a job as a hostess on a sailing boat in the Whitsundays in 2005. After falling in love with the sport and lifestyle, Lisa clocked up more than 50,000 nautical miles of ocean sailing before embarking on her record-making voyage, Circumnavigating the world in the Clipper 2011-12 Round the World Yacht Race.
Over her sailing career, Lisa has noticed the impact that man-made climate change has had; the storms are more aggressive and less predictable, there is a reduction in wildlife and sea life, and there is an increased risk of collision with ice as the glaciers keep melting. The hull of Lisa’s boat is wrapped in notes from the public with pledges for environmental action.
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