Looking back on success. GGR race winner misses ocean’s solace
Kirsten Neuschäfer, winner of Golden Globe Race (GGR) has admitted she’s missing the solace of the ocean. She says she’d far rather be alone on Minnehaha than in the spotlight. But the South African sailor has had to become accustomed to international attention after winning the formidable 48,000km race.
Not only did she become the first female winner of a round-the-world sailing race after almost eight months at sea, she also rescued a fellow contestant on the way. She says the response to her win (in 2023) has been ‘humbling’.
“I went from focusing full-time over a period of four years on successfully following through the project of racing and winning the GGR, to dealing with a lot more public interest in my story than I would ever have expected. I’ve gone from being a usually very private and preferably anonymous person, to trying to honour the public as much as they have honoured me with their support and interest,” Neuschäfer says.
“I’ve been travelling a lot, sharing my story with those who have asked me to, and trying to digest the immensity of experiencing the GGR and of finding my feet on land again.”
She says she’s most proud of the meticulous preparation which went into boat. “One other person – Eddie Arsenault – and I did 98 per cent of all the work with our own hands and on a small budget.
“We did the best work we could – we took no shortcuts, we spared no expense, and I believe we did a better job than even a professional yard might have done. Doing as much as I could with my own hands was one of the best things in being sure the boat and I were well prepared. It was a huge undertaking for just two people. At times it seemed impossible, but we did it, and we did it well. It is said that a race is often won before the boat leaves the dock.”
Neuschäfer is no stranger to solo adventures. Before taking on GGR, apart from numerous sailing ventures, she cycled 15,000km down the African continent to South Africa on her own.
“The challenges were very different,” she says. “The dangers, difficulties, the preparation, the budget. What they do have in common though is adventure and the love of challenge and the unknown.”
That desire for the unknown hasn’t got Neuschäfer planning her next challenge yet. She’s still missing the simple life out at sea.
“I miss, above all, being so disconnected from modern communication, and disconnected from the internet and social media. I miss privacy and solitude. I miss Minnehaha,” she says. “I miss being so close to the ocean, to nature, the simplicity of life with one simple goal each day: make my boat glide through the water as fast as I can, keep her safe, be observant, read the weather, do my best at one of the things I love doing most: sailing.”
Main image courtesy of Golden Globe Race’s Barry Pickthall, interview courtesy of Sportsboom.com.
