NATIONAL NEWS - History was made yesterday, Thursday 27 April, when South African women's sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer, from Gqeberha, sailed to victory in the 2022 Golden Globe nonstop round-the-world race.

After 235 days alone at sea in a tiny fiberglass boat, Neuschäfer crossed the finish line a day ahead of her closest rival.

In sharp contrast to the rough conditions she experienced during much of her voyage, Neuschäfer, aboard her 36-foot Minnehaha, spent the last few hours with almost no wind, inching into the same harbor at Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, that she and 15 competitors departed on 4 September 2022.

All but three of those entrants were subsequently forced out of the grueling race, regarded by many as the most challenging competition the sailing world has to offer. 

One boat sank in the Indian Ocean, with Neuschäfer sailing to the skipper's rescue. Several others lost their masts or experienced other problems.

The Golden Globe is a unique race in which participants are not allowed to use most modern electronics to find their position at sea, relying instead on celestial navigation. 

It is a reboot of a famous 1968 race that resulted in the first nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation — a feat so rare that even today, more people have gone into space. The race was revived in 2018, and Neuschafer is now the first woman to win.

Neuschäfer also became the first woman to win a round-the-world race by the three great capes, including solo and fully crewed races, non-stop or with stops, and the first South African sailor to ever win a round-the-world event.

She was at sea for nine months, never touching land, crossing the three Great Capes, complete circumnavigation, no GPS, no radio and no engine on her boat, only the wind.

Neuschäfer is also the recipient of the Rod Stephens Seamanship Trophy for rescuing a fellow Golden Globe Race competitor, Tapio Lehtinen, during this race.

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