Cape Town — Kirsten Neuschäfer, 39, from Gqeberha in South Africa, has won the solo around-the-world Golden Globe Race 2022 – the first woman to do so. Neuschäfer crossed the finish line off Les Sables-d’Olonne in France on Thursday night, April 27, 2023.
The solo race started on September 4, 2022, from Les Sables-d’Olonne in France, with Neuschäfer the only woman competitor. She spent nearly 235 days alone at sea in a 48,000km journey in her boat Minnehaha.
The boat 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.
Neuschäfer crossed the finish line around 10 hours behind competitor, Simon Curwen, but the British sailor was relegated to the Chichester class because he had been forced to make a land stop for repairs, News24 reports.
Neuschäfer’s journey included a dramatic mid-ocean rescue of one of her fellow competitors who needed assistance.
SA Sailing president Michael Robinson said on Instragram: “We are so proud of Kirsten. She has made not only the country’s sailing community but the whole of South Africa proud and provided an exceptional example to both women and men of what’s possible with incredibly hard work and determination”.
Neuschäfer became a professional sailor in 2006. A born adventurer, she also cycled from Europe back home to South Africa (15,000 km over approximately one year) when she was just 22.
