First circumnavigation of Antarctica in a sailboat south of the 60th parallel

On 23 December 2017, Captain Mariusz Koper and his eight-man crew − Tomasz Grala, Hanna Leniec, Michał Barasiński, Magdalena Żuchelkowska, Wojciech Małecki, Ireneusz Kamiński, Piotr Kukliński, Robert Kibart − (all Poland) left Cape Town, South Africa, on board the 72-ft Oyster yacht Katharsis II, as part of a challenge to loop Antarctica entirely south of the 60th parallel. On 5 April 2018, after a non-stop journey that lasted 102 days 22 hours 59 minutes and 5 seconds, they reached Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, having successfully completed the Antarctic Loop south of 60° between 08:00 UTC on 7 January and 14:00 UTC on 20 March 2018 in a time of 72 days 6 hours. The voyage was completed and authenticated under the auspices World Sailing Speed Record Council.

On 7 May 2008, Russian Fedor Konyukhov became the first person to complete a solo sailing circumnavigation of Antarctica − he did so as part of the Antarctica Cup Racetrack, along a route that fell between the 45th and 60th parallels south, in 102 days 1 hour 35 minutes 50 seconds (Albany to Albany, Western Australia). On 25 July 2017, Lisa Blair (Australia) became the first woman to sail around Antarctica (with one stop) in 183 days 7 hours 21 minutes and 38 seconds. Both circumnavigations were also accomplished under WSSRC rules.