Cape Town — Kirsten Neuschäfer, 39, from Gqeberha in South Africa, is participating in what is considered the greatest challenge by sailing around the world, alone, and without GPS – the Golden Globe Race 2022.
The solo race started on September 4, 2022, from Les Sables-d’Olonne in France. Neuschäfer’s boat, Minnehaha, was created by Cecil Lange, an esteemed boat builder, in 1988 with the help of designer Ed Monk. The Cape George 36 is a fiberglass adaptation of the Tally Ho Major, Atkins 1930s boat.
Minnehaha is named after a fictional local woman from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 poem The Song of Hiawatha. She is the lover of the poem’s primary character, Hiawatha. Neuschäfer says the name Minnehaha is said to mean “laughing water” in the poem. In the Dakota Sioux language it translates to “waterfall”.
Sailing has been in Neuschäfer’s blood since young- sailing dinghies since childhood and then turning professional in 2006. Her career includes sailing training and sail boat delivery – with her longest single-handed sail boat delivery from Portugal to South Africa.
In 2015, Neuschäfer began working for Skip Novak on his Pelagic Expeditions to South Georgia, The Antarctic Peninsula, Patagonia and the Falklands.
According to Goldengloberace.com, Neuschäfer sailed several film crews to capture the beauty of the Antarctic. She was featured in National Geographic series Wild Life Resurrection Island with Bertie Gregory as she sailed his crew throughout South Georgia to shed light on the beautiful ecosystems and hardships they’ve faced. She also sailed and was a support vessel for several crews from the newest BBC series Seven Worlds, One Planet.
Neuschäfer also cycled from Europe back home to South Africa (15,000 km over approximately one year) when she was just 22. The solitary adventurer travelled throughout the north west, central and southern Africa, ending her journey at Cape Agulhas, the southern-most tip of Africa.
Neuschäfer described that trip as giving her the deepest appreciation of Africa and her people.
