Last Updated: February 17, 2023, 17:54 IST
Over 700 kilometers of Open Waters in Antarctica. (Image credit: guinnessworldrecords)
Lisa Farthofer has become the first woman to row on the Southern Ocean, covering 753.7 kilometers in a week, despite frostbite and harsh conditions.
The Guinness World Record called her an “inspirational sportswoman” for a good reason. Lisa Farthofer from Austria did the unimaginable and something totally deserving of the hype. She is now the first woman to row on the Southern Ocean and the first woman to row on Polar open waters. Despite the harsh temperature, frostbite, and sleep deprivation, she went on to row 407 nautical miles or 753.7 kilometers on the open waters in Antarctica in a week, starting from January 11. In a clip shared on her official Instagram handle, the professional sailor and rower gave a glimpse of what it was like to be a part of this expedition. For everyone watching from their screens, it will look like a breathtaking view of the glaciers, open waters stretching out as far as one could see to meet the horizon.
Lisa agreed in part. The Guinness World Record quoted her as saying, “Everybody asks me about how beautiful it was, and I don’t have the words to describe it. If you’re on the water and see these huge blocks of ice it’s just indescribable – it’s enormous. I can’t find the words, it’s something you just have to see for yourself, and it’s moments like this that will stay in my mind forever.” Then again, she did suffer from frostnip, broke some of her toes but didn’t even notice, and survived at -5 degree celsius with no shelter. But that all turned out to be part of this impressive feat.
Impressed was an understatement. The people in the comment section shared just how beautiful it all looks. An Instagram user wrote, “Who can claim to have traveled this continent and then in the form of such an expedition? Awesomeness!”
Fellow sailor Angelika Kohlendorfer also shared how proud she was of the sportswoman. She wrote, “Truly breathtaking! Can’t tell you how proud I am as your former helm. Amazing!” Another comment read: “So crazy, just too cool!”
Lisa Farthofer was on this expedition with famous names like Fiann Paul (Iceland), Mike Matson (USA), Jamie Douglas-Hamilton (UK), Stefan Ivanov (Bulgaria), and Brian Krauskopf (USA). As a group, they earned a further eight records. These are the first human-powered expedition in the Southern Ocean, the first human-powered expedition on the Scotia Sea, the first human-powered expedition from the Antarctic, and also the first human-powered expedition on the Southern Ocean (South to North). Other than that, they are also the record holders for the Southernmost start of a rowing expedition, the longest distance rowed on the Southern Ocean, the fastest Polar row, and the fastest row on the Southern Ocean.
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