The following report was written by Tom Babbitt, a long-time Maine resident, yacht broker and veteran cruiser following last Friday’s celebration of Kristin’s remarkable achievement winning the 2022 Golden Globe race. GD
At her only 2023 US appearance on September 22, Kirsten Neuschäfer walked on to the stage at the Rockport, Maine Opera house, and before uttering a word was greeted by a thundering standing ovation from the capacity crowd of 340, the energy and adoration of the crowd rivaling a Jimmy Buffett concert. Sadly, 180 poor souls were left out on the waiting list. Attendees travelled from far and wide, most notably some hardy and dedicated fans from Prince Edward Island who drove over 400 miles to witness the return of their adopted superstar.
Here she was, the winner of the Golden Globe Solo nonstop race around the world, starting her victory lap back in Maine where she received enough encouragement and support to enter the race and start the arduous process of selecting a boat, raising funds and making it to the starting line in Les Sables-d’Olonne. This included crossing the Cabot Strait from Newfoundland to Prince Edward Island in January (solo of course) and embarking on a year-long refit with her adopted family—her generous and dedicated supporters in Prince Edward Island.
A year later, her Cape George 36 Minnehaha was relaunched, with the mast again transported on bales of hay, and she departed…in December…solo…from Prince Edward Island on her shake-down cruise to Cape Town, South Africa, with one stop in the Azores. After a few months in Cape Town she then departed, again solo, to France for the start of the race. She had 15,000 nm of training and testing for her 30,000-mile race.
The Golden Globe Race, according to Kirsten, is a test of endurance, seamanship, attrition, and luck. Sixteen boats started the race, one ran aground, one sank (and Kirsten found and rescued her competitor from his life raft), one boat capsized and was dismasted, and only three finished without stopping and without assistance. Kirsten set records for the fastest weekly run, the fastest 4-hour run and, of course, became the first woman to win a round-the-world race by the three great capes.
Any 233-day adventure like this is filled with highs and lows, and Kirsten admits that spending two weeks adrift in the doldrums and spending two-and-a-half hours scraping barnacles in freezing cold water were certainly unpleasant, but rounding Cape Horn and being informed by the lighthouse keeper’s VHF radio that she was the first Golden Globe boat to round, and then finishing first, made up for it.
In her closing remarks, she admitted that while finishing first was a great joy, it was mixed with a bit of sadness that the adventure was now complete. She was even tempted to cross the finish line and head back to sea…but her mother was waiting to hug her.
Kirsten put on an electrifying presentation that charmed and amazed the audience and left all filled with admiration for this authentic, self-effacing and courageous individual.
Tom Babbitt is the Lead Editor for the Cruising Club of America’s Online Cruising Guide to Maine. The guide provides invaluable local knowledge and anecdotes for finding the best coves, harbors, villages and towns in what many cruisers consider the best cruising ground in North America. You can check out the guide here.
You can watch an inspirational YouTube video account of Kristin’s Golden Globe race here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPrEs4zBz8I
Photo credit: James Bennett
