Portrait: Kirsten Neuschäfer and her experiences in the Golden Globe Race
At Cape Agulhas, a young, petite woman looks out over the Indian Ocean to her left and the Atlantic Ocean to her right. The transition from land to sea at the southernmost point of Africa marks the end of her long journey.
Kirsten Neuschäfer, the daughter of a German father and a South African mother, grew up in southern Africa. At the age of 19, she moved to Finland, where she trained sled dogs for two years and learnt to speak fluent Finnish.
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She chose the bicycle for the return journey to South Africa - despite all the people's worries. A year later, she stands at the Cape and recapitulates: None of her fears have materialised. She is happy to have completed the mammoth journey and at the same time sad that the adventure is over. But ahead of her lies the vastness of the oceans and the whole world. Neuschäfer makes a decision: she will become a sailor.
So she gets a sailing licence and enquires about sailing opportunities, as the area on her doorstep is challenging. "To be taken seriously as a sailor and get jobs, experience is essential. So I asked everywhere whether I could go sailing to collect nautical miles."
Kirsten Neuschäfer becomes a sailing instructor
On one of these trips from Durban to Cape Town, they stop off in East London. In a pub, she struck up a conversation with the owner of the local sailing school. "He asked me about my sailing experience and I replied: 'To be honest, I hardly have any. I only have a coastal licence'." To her surprise, he reacted enthusiastically: he was looking for a sailing instructor and offered her the chance to start with him the very next day. In response to her objection that she has no experience in teaching, he replies unconcernedly that she can teach and learn at the same time.
And she does this like no other. She becomes a sailing instructor and starts with ferry trips of a larger kind. Her first single-handed voyage was to ferry a ferrocement yacht from Portugal to South Africa. During a transfer, they sail to Saint Paul, an uninhabited island in the Indian Ocean, which lies roughly halfway between South Africa and Australia. The island consists of a volcanic crater rising steeply out of the sea, one side of which has collapsed and forms an entrance about a hundred metres wide. Heading for the island is a daring endeavour, even with little wind, due to the strong swell. They drop anchor in the middle of the crater. They reach the shore by swimming. "There were lots of seals swimming with us. They don't see humans as enemies and simply accompanied us," she enthuses.
But they can't linger for long, because at night the boat drags at anchor between the high crater walls in strong downdraughts. In the dark, they search for the narrow exit, while the light from the powerful torch makes hundreds of seals' eyes glow. "It's these remote places that you can only reach by boat that make sailing so special." Out there, she is on her own and has to think of everything before she sets off. Spare propellers and diving equipment included. She has to be as technically adept as she is a sailor. She also needs to be modest when it comes to comfort, intimately connected to the sea and fearless, even when it's raging.
Participation in the Golden Globe Race
The best prerequisites for taking part in the Golden Globe Race (GGR), probably the loneliest race on earth. Neuschäfer chooses the right type of boat for the job: a Cape George 36 - not exactly a racer with an unladen weight of 13 tonnes, but sturdy and reliable. There is one for sale in Newfoundland, Canada. Neuschäfer discovers the ship when she is travelling from South Georgia on her way to Greenland. She takes out a loan and buys the boat.
But then comes corona. She is not allowed to go to Canada for a year. When she is finally able to set sail, it is still so cold that she has to thaw the mooring lines with hot water. She sails non-stop to Cape Town in 56 days, gets to know the boat and draws up a list of improvements she would like to make. And just three months later, Neuschäfer sails across the Azores to the GGR's starting harbour in the regatta mecca of Les Sables-d'Olonne.
The single-handed sailor already has 15,000 solo nautical miles in her "Minnehaha" before the start of the race. She has just under three weeks on site to finalise her preparations for the race in accordance with the strict rules. She has to stock up on food, books, music cassettes and everything else she could possibly need in months of complete solitude. Modern technology and means of communication are taboo.
Austrian Norbert Sedlacek has just had to abandon a record attempt and has plenty of supplies, which are now going into the "Minnehaha's" cupboards. Even better: a French chef supplies them with 100 preserving jars of specially created local cuisine. "My boat has an empty weight of 13 tonnes, so an extra 100 kilos for the food and 100 books won't make any difference," says Neuschäfer with a laugh.
Start 2022 against 15 male competitors
On 4 September 2022, she starts the retro regatta around the world with 15 male competitors. The start was tough for the South African, but she sailed the race confidently, while the fleet decimated itself through strandings, abandonments and breakages. By the time of the scheduled media stop in Cape Town, she had already worked her way up to second place, closely followed by her Finnish rival Tapio Lehtinen.
In the Indian Ocean, Neuschäfer interrupts her race and rushes to the aid of the Finn, whose boat has sunk within a very short time after a collision. Neuschäfer manages the spectacular rescue, and after Lehtinen is transferred to a freighter, she sails on with a time credit of 36 hours.
After rounding Cape Horn, there is a duel between Neuschäfer and the Indian Abhilash Tomy, which demands everything from both of them, both physically and mentally. But after a brilliant final spurt, she crosses the finish line with a comfortable lead and becomes the first woman to win a solo race around the world - on Liberty Day in her home country of all places.
Kirsten Neuschäfer is the new queen of offshore sailing
After friends and team members have come on board, "Minnehaha" is towed into the famous canal of Les Sables-d'Olonne, whose flanks are lined with enthusiastic sailing fans. "Kirsten, we love you!" and cheers fly towards the new queen of offshore sailing. She humbly thanks everyone for their cheers before taking to the foredeck, equipped with a red signalling torch.
Don McIntyre, initiator of the Golden Globe Race, introduces the press conference the next morning: "The GGR is not just a race around the world, it's a game of wills that takes place in the mind and determines success. Kirsten, your preparations were excellent, but at the end of the day it was your mental strength that made the difference!"
The new offshore star does not spend the first few nights after crossing the finish line in a hotel, but back on "Minnehaha", her home and sanctuary, where she can be protected and alone again when the hustle and bustle gets too much for her. On the jetties of Port Olona, she can't take a step without being surrounded by people and posing for autographs and selfies. As the euphoria of victory slowly fades and tiredness sets in, you can tell that she is finding it increasingly difficult. The tough adventurer and circumnavigator suddenly seems vulnerable. But she fights and answers every enquiry with a smile.
Their humility and down-to-earth attitude, paired with their warmth and the way their eyes light up when they talk - this fascinating mix casts a spell over every sailor.
Seamaster 2024: The winner takes it all
Kirsten Neuschäfer was presented with the Seamaster Award by the trade fair and the publishing house Delius Klasing, which also publishes YACHT, during the Flagship Night at the start of boot Düsseldorf in 2024. She has already received several prestigious awards: For example, the adventurous professional skipper, who had never before taken part in a regatta, had already been named World Sailor of the Year 2023 at the World Sailing Awards, received the Cape Horn Award newly donated by Bobby Schenk and also won the traditional Blue Water Medal from the prestigious Cruising Club of America. The achievement of the petite South African with German roots cannot be honoured enough.
About the book "All good, K. - Golden Globe Race and Sea"
In "It's all good, K." Kirsten Neuschäfer describes her historic triumph in the Golden Globe Race, one of the most demanding sailing races in the world. Her victory as the first woman against 15 male competitors revolutionised the sport of sailing and inspired many adventurers. Neuschäfer's account ranges from the beginnings of her sailing career to the complicated rescue of Tapio Lehtinen in the Indian Ocean. Her stories paint a vivid picture of the challenges and joys of solo sailing. Thanks to her extraordinary achievements, Neuschäfer has received prestigious honours and remains an icon of modern seafaring. Her book offers a deep insight into the soul of an explorer and encourages readers to follow their own dreams. 29,90 Euro. ISBN 978-3-667-13143-0. shop.delius-klasing.de/
Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
