Meyer started off with an anti-clockwise circumnavigation around Australia with Tim Cormack crewing for the 13 week trip. Leaving Sydney 13 April 1962, it took them 13 weeks to complete. When they made it to Perth they learned that they were to be the first boat to circumnavigate in an anti-clockwise direction after Matthew Flinders in 1802/3. A yacht Warro circumnavigated Australia in a clockwise direction in the 1940's. After he circumnavigated Australia he decided he wanted to do a bigger adventure and sail around the world. To sail around the world Meyer needed a crew; he was very known for picking all women crew at the time, because he said they worked harder and didn't complain as much. After his first voyage he went on to do it twice more surviving numerous groundings, a cyclone that almost sunk the boat and a demasting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, again with all female crew. After his circumnavigations he decided that he was going to sell the boat, but before he sold
Solo he wanted to make one more trip around Australia. In Sydney, before departure a lady called Olga stepped on board; she was Meyer's only crew member at the time. Meyer left port around mid-April and sailed around the country. On Monday 14 April, it was overcast and with no offer of a chance to get a sight, that night the radar and echo sounder broke down, through battery failure it is believed, but there seemed no cause for immediate worry. Although a squally south Easter was blowing, everything pointed to
Solo being well offshore. Meyer left the autopilot in charge for a while as he attempted to get the radar going again, but while plunging through a squall
Solo went through the surf and onto the beach at Fraser Island at a spot about ten miles south of Happy Valley. The tide was well in and when it receded
Solo was left high and dry. There she remained for over a month. Unfortunately, she had dug herself into the sand, a plan to bulldoze a channel out to the sea was not practical, and an attempt to tow her off had failed. On Thursday, May 15,
Solo was refloated by Brisbane salvage expert Joe Engwirda and the help from a high tide, after a two-day operation which had only one anxious moment when she was caught side-on by a large breaker she was floating, once clear of the breakers and into deep water a diver inspected
Solos hull only to find the only apparent damage was done to the rudder.
Solo was towed by Mr Engwirda's barge to Mooloolaba 50 km south of her location, she was then towed to a boat yard where she had repairs carried out. During Meyer's stranding he proposed to Olga after she refused to leave him and the boat at Fraser Island. Olga was 25 and Meyer was 70. After Meyer and Olga got married they sold
Solo and bought a mango farm on the
Sunshine Coast Queensland. One night Vic and Olga were driving home, they were towing a caravan at the time and they had to cross a narrow bridge only suitable for one car at a time, already half-way across the bridge, a truck started to approach from the opposite direction, and to avoid a collision Vic had to steer off the bridge, unfortunately he did that and during that accident Olga drowned. After that accident Meyer sold his mango farm and moved back to
Sydney to live the rest of his days. Vic Meyer died in 1993. Meyer had sailed over 300,000 nautical miles during his career. == Antarctic expedition ==