It was in an evanescent downwind wind that Kirsten Neuschäfer crossed the finish line of the Golden Globe Race off Les Sables-d'Olonne, on April 27, 2023 in the early evening. After 8 months at sea, she is the winner of this non-stop single-handed round the world race. The Golden Globe Race, GGR, is a special event, putting the competitors in the same situation as the first Golden Globe Trophy in 1968.
An edition that did not give any gifts
This 2022-23 edition has been particularly trying. As a proof, out of the 16 skippers to take the start, only 2 will have managed to finish without making a stopover. Just 10 days ago, the race lost the British skipper Ian Herbert-Jones, victim of a violent storm off Tierra del Fuego, who was dismasted and rescued by a Taiwanese ship.
For the previous edition, Jean-Luc Van den Heede took 212 days to complete his lap on a Rustler 36. This time, Kirsten Neuschäfer on her Cape Georges 36 will take longer. But what a feat!
Kirsten Neuschäfer thus becomes the first woman to win a non-stop round-the-world race.
Kirsten, the new adventurer
Kirsten Neuschäfer is above all an adventurer. At the age of 22, she left Europe by bicycle, heading for her country, South Africa. A journey that lasted one year. After that, she often sails in convoy, regularly solo and always in difficult seas. She sails a lot in Antarctica to help in the realization of films, in order to make people aware of the protection of nature.
Will the sailor of the year 2023 be a woman?
