Around-the-world sailor comes to Durban
As the historic winner of the 2022 Golden Globe Race, Neuschäfer spoke to a room bursting at the seams with enthusiastic locals and international sailors stopping in Durban on their own circumnavigations.
CHRISTMAS came early for sailors in Durban with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and listen to around-the-world sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer at the Point Yacht Club on Friday, December 1.
As the historic winner of the 2022 Golden Globe Race, Neuschäfer spoke to a room bursting at the seams with enthusiastic locals and international sailors stopping in Durban on their own circumnavigations. Her storytelling took the audience on a timeline that began with her briefly introducing everyone to who she was, her truly amazing adventures and travels over the last two decades, the build-up to her life-changing race and snippets from being on the water, racing.
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The Golden Globe Race is a solo, non-stop retro yacht race that starts and ends in Les Sables D’Olonne in France. Mirrored on the 1968 event, the 2022 event – the third of its kind – began on September 4, 2022 with 16 yachts setting off. Being a retro race, competitors could only use the technology that was available in 1968, so no modern technology or GPSs, no way to communicate with the outside world and no way to check the weather. All the crafts’ designs were required to be older than 35 years and had to be between 32 and 36 feet in length. The fleet would sail south, turning east, rounding the Cape of Good Hope, then past Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn before turning north for the finish line.
Neuschäfer finished her lap around the world in just over 233 days and in so doing, set a number of records. This phenomenal sailor is the first woman to win an around-the-world race via the three capes. She is the first South African sailor, male or female, to win an around-the-world race. She is also the first woman to compete in the Golden Globe Race and, of course, then being the first woman to win the event.
The audience was offered a glimpse into her many adventures, cycling from Germany, ‘downhill’ all the way to Cape Agulhas; working as a delivery skipper, sailing on a variety of yachts, and captaining a high latitude vessel that allowed her to explore and discover far-off remote places, like the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, Patagonia and Antarctica. All these adventures were stepping stones in preparation for her ‘golden’ race.
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After the riveting talk, she spent ages answering individual questions, sharing her passion with others who also dream of one day sailing over the horizon.
According to Neuschäfer, one of the most asked questions is why? Why would you sail solo around the world, and her uncomplicated response is, “Because I love an adventure.”
And what an adventure it has been. The world needs more Kirsten Neuschäfers who just quietly go and achieve astonishing things. But for now, South Africa’s most famous sailor is recharging her batteries, spending quality time with her folks and her beloved dogs.
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