South African sailor, Kirsten Neuschäfer (39) has made the country proud and has made history by becoming the first woman to win the prestigious Golden Globe round-the-world race in Les Sables-d’Olonne in France on Thursday night.
Neuschäfer was the only female sailor to contest the race which required competitors to navigate the globe without the use of modern technology. She spent almost 235 days alone at sea.
The Gqeberha-based sailor won the 2022 Golden Globe Race after setting off on the epic 48 000 km journey on September 4 last year.
Neuschäfer crossed the finish line around ten hours behind competitor, Simon Curwen, but the British sailor was relegated to the Chichester class because he had been forced to make a land stop for repairs.
Her journey included a dramatic mid-ocean rescue when one of her fellow competitors got into trouble
“This is amazing this is once in a lifetime experience it’s absolutely amazing I can’t believe all the support. I didn’t know if I would win it, I was convinced I would finish it but after the doldrums, I thought that’s it for me so this is cool,” she adds
