From the archives – Voyage to Antarctica
By Anne Lise Guy, undated
I would like to thank Dick Smith and his team at Australia Geographic for supporting my project and inviting me to be a part of the Australian Geographic Awards night.
The focus of my project was to sail to the Antarctic Peninsula via the Southern Ocean from Australia. If I added a leg up the east coast of Australia and over the Equator on my return, I gave myself the opportunity to further the record by including the Antarctic non-stop voyage as part of a circumnavigation. Beyond this point the circumnavigation was not relevant.
The present record for circumnavigating is three time consecutively non-stop by John Sanders (not including the Antarctic).
During the severe conditions experienced in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, I was heading for the second southern-most Cape, Smart Island. The brand new professionally installed staysail stay parted before New Zealand. Well on toward Cape Horn the professionally installed boom pin came out and could only be temporarily re-installed with some effort, further reducing my sail capacity. Conditions near the Horn were exceptionally bad due I think in part to the El Nino effect.
After numerous knockdowns culminating in a complete rollover that took out communications and ejected the life raft by the hydrostatic release, I carefully considered my options and elected to continue in part due to the favourable weather report given by the American Survey Vessel in Antarctica. The motor was okay so power to the Global Positioning System could be sustained.
Passing the infamous Horn’s longitude and heading 63 degrees south for Smith Island I was well and truly on my own. There was sufficient wind, wave and current for me to sail bare poled, that is without sail, which also reduced wear to the remaining rig.
After seeing no land since Stuart Island south of New Zealand, sighting Smith Island (the south westernmost island of the South Shetland group) at Antarctica, right on target, was awe-inspiring. This was my Everest, what I had come for; to sail between this group of islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, and later to retrace Sir Francis Shackleton’s nightmare of survival.
The temperature her was minus 25 to minus 30 degrees. I encountered snow, icebergs frequently no visibility, big seas, fierce currents and savage gales, which took me from one side of the Bransfield Strait to the other. Rest or sleep were no part of the agenda.
The ice cliffs, volcanic rock and glaciers, when I did see them, were incredible.
At times there were seals and penguins, along with numerous sea birds for companions.
I came close to being dashed against rocks or icebergs many times. I looked death in the face, shook my fist and said ‘I want to live’.
After passing within 16 miles of the American Survey Vessel’s given position I was to sail between South Georgia and the South Sandwich group, rock, ice and volcanos.
It was soon after Elephant Island that my wind vane self-steering ceased to operate. It would now be pure survival 24 hours a day. I read in my pilot book that there was a permanent British Regiment at Prince Edward cove, East Cumberland Bay, South Georgia.
Shackleton and his brave men, on a fully crewed boat that could beach, had to cross from the south side and climb glacier to a whaling station and survival. I thought sailing would be better idea. There were many obstacles against this, both Southern Ocean and Antarctic currents, frequent gales, horrible rock groups and currents either side of the Island, and semi-submerged icebergs. Not the least of these obstacles was having to hand steer for many hours day and night in extreme cold and with no sleep. Well, that was the course and I was here to do it.
It was mostly gales. I had to put the boat on the correct angle to the wind and estimate the drift and effect. This was vital.
On 12th April, after weeks on end of pure survival, having reached the northern side and three attempts being swept away by gales each time close to the mark, I finally came to entering East Cumberland Bay.
I had climbed my Everest, triumphed in silence and gone to the utter limit of my endurance and beyond. Love of life and a deep love for my family had brought me here to the southernmost point and Shackleton’s grave. I was ecstatic. South Georgia was the most beautiful island I had ever seen and the navigator Chris from the Supply ship got the biggest hug from me.
Two weeks and much media coverage later, I started the fully crewed Brisbane-Osaka Yacht Race. I have just returned and there are plans in progress to bring the boat back from South Georgia.
There is interest in a book and further adventures.
My message is not to lose sight of your goals and don’t make the odds top of your priority list. The correct decisions and outcomes are your choice make it positive.
Note: Contrary to Media reports, Anne Lise Guy categorically states that she was neither lost nor found. This journey required extreme accuracy in navigation. She achieved a history making, record breaking, first non-stop, unassisted, single-handed sail from Australia to South Georgia via the Antarctic. She requested Grey Rover, which was also entering East Cumberland Bay, to stand by as she entered the harbour.
PHOTO – Three amazing solo sailors – Lisa Blair Sails the World, Jessica Watson and Anne Lise Guy