​Dear readers,

Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, with no land in sight, a young woman on a 36-foot boat calls a passing merchant ship via radio. Her request is unusual: she asks whether the crew could briefly check her social media presence, for which she has hired a dedicated team.

Just imagine it. Solitude all around, the nearest living soul presumably on that very freighter, and the most pressing question is one of range. Helga Marie Løvenskiold Kveseth, known as Mara for short, is sailing in the 2026 Golden Globe Race. This is the race that has set itself the explicit goal of recreating the conditions of 1968: solo, non-stop, round the world without any stopovers – using the technology of that era.

Anyone who thinks of Kirsten Neuschäfer will have a good idea of what this format is actually all about. She was the 2022 winner. She was reserved in her communication, rather taciturn. Neuschäfer did her own thing, listened to herself and earned the respect of the wider sailing community as a result.

Mara is something of the antithesis. She wants attention – for herself and for the cause of women’s rights. She is the only woman in the running; she has a charity and a message. And she is determined to turn the enormous effort involved in this journey into something within everyone’s reach.

That in itself is perfectly legitimate, in my view. The Instagram and TikTok feeds are full of people doing exactly that: generating attention at any cost. If you want to be heard these days, you have to be loud. Not everyone likes it, but that’s the way it is.

It was a similar story for Cole Brauer, who sailed the Global Solo Challenge in 2023/24 and shared her day-to-day life on Instagram. The round-the-world race was her springboard. Today, she is a permanent crew member of Team Malizia.

Yet there is one crucial difference: the format itself. By choosing the Golden Globe Race for her campaign, Mara has opted for the very regatta format that sees itself as an alternative to the increasingly technologised world of sailing. This has struck a chord online. A row has flared up between two camps: those who see Mara as a women’s rights activist, and those who fear the end of the 1968 spirit.

The short version: Mara hijacked a new live format launched by the organiser for her own social media strategy. It didn’t take long for reactions to follow. Supporters and opponents engaged in bitter debates, accusations were hurled, apologies were demanded, and boundaries were crossed. The discussion took on a life of its own and became increasingly heated.

Full details Read more here: Controversy at the Golden Globe Race – what’s behind it?

A row like this benefits the media coverage, but it harms the regatta. The actual performance – and this is the bitter part – gets lost in the noise. For example, the fact that Gunnar Christensen sailed through a tropical storm in 50-knot winds with damaged equipment, hardly anyone in the comments section is interested in that. It’s the debate that matters.

Mara is perfectly within her rights to raise awareness for a good cause. But she should have chosen a different setting for this. She should have realised that her actions would meet with resistance. After all, it’s all set out in the racing rules, which every competitor has on board.

However, the GGR Window Live – the newly introduced satellite transmission format – which actually paves the way for precisely this kind of dispute. It reveals what used to be recorded in the logbook, at best, months later – exhaustion, frustration, conflicts. It brings the race closer to the public. And it’s working: a 400 to 500 per cent increase in reach compared with 2022, the organiser proudly announced. A regatta that aims to emulate 1968 has thus created a tool that thinks ahead to 2026.

Mara wanted a stage. The organiser wanted reach. Both got what they wanted. Along with everything that goes with it. “The spirits I summoned, I cannot now get rid of.” Goethe knew that. Don McIntyre and Mara Kveseth know it now, too.

​Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Fabian Boerger

YACHT editor

Book recommendations

Everything’s fine, K. recounts Kirsten Neuschäfer’s journey to victory in the Golden Globe Race. The sailor talks about her early days, the challenges of solo sailing and the rescue of Tapio Lehtinen in the Indian Ocean. Anyone wishing to understand the race beyond the results and position updates will find here a personal perspective on the demands of a single-handed round-the-world sail and the experiences of the eventual winner.

The victory that was thrown away explains Bernard Moitessier’s decision in 1969 not to return to his port of destination, but to continue sailing towards Tahiti. His account combines the voyage on the ‘Joshua’ round the three great capes with observations of nature and reflections on solitude at sea. As a historical complement to Neuschäfer’s account of his race, the book offers a different perspective on solo sailing: one that involves a conscious decision to forego competition, fame and prize money.

Editor’s reading recommendations

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