Kirsten Neuschäfer named 2023 Sailor of the Year after historic Golden Globe Race win

Kirsten Neuschäfer has been voted female 2023 Rolex Sailor of the Year after becoming the first woman to win the infamous Golden Globe Race. A remarkable achievement, which earned Neuschäfer a spot in the Sailing Hall of Fame!

Neuschäfer's achievement opens the door to future women sailors in a sport mainly dominated by men.

Her determination to achieve her goals involved choosing a boat that she believed could cope with the extreme Southern Oceans and be fast enough to win the race. Not an easy task...

The South African-born sailor has devoted her life to the ocean. Born June 23rd, 1982, Neuschäfer began sailing dingies and later became a professional sailor in 2006.

She began working as a high latitude sailor, doing private charters to remote locations like The Falkans, Patagonia, South Georgia, and Antarctica!

Over time she gained vast amounts of experience and knowledge on some of the world's most violent oceans. The last thing on her checklist was to enter a race that would circumnavigate the globe.

The Golden Globe Race is arguably one of the most challenging races on earth. Solo-sailing through some of the world's roughest oceans can be a very physically and mentally demanding task.

The Sunday Times Golden Globe Race was a non-stop, single-handed circumnavigation race, held in 1968. This was the first ever round-the-world yacht race proposed to the greater public, which sparked a lot of interest amongst sailors worldwide. Arguably one of the most thrilling yet controversial yacht races that took place in the 20th century.

The British Sunday Times newspaper sponsored the event and designed the race to capitalize on the content produced by each voyage. There were no qualification requirements and all competitors were welcome to join.

Knox-Johnston was the only one to finish the Golden Globe race after 312 days out at sea. He spent five months passing the Southern Ocean, surviving a couple of series of scares onboard the Suhaili.

Crowhurst was a weekend sailor who enjoyed his ventures out at sea and was intrigued by electronics. Sadly, he never made it back to port after wandering lost at sea for over three months.

Neuschäfer understood the many challenges she would face through her time out at sea. She spent long hours refitting her Minnehaha, a Cape George 36 vessel into a durable floating tank. Throughout the race she pushed the boat to its limits, squeezing every nautical mile possible.

The South African sailor would spend many hours hand-steering rather than relying on self-steering technologies. A purist in her ways, much like Knox-Johnston.

Neuschäfer would also do regular maintenance on her vessel while on the race, diving into the cold ocean to remove the barnacles stuck on the hull.

Right around halfway through the race, she also rescued fellow competitor Tapio Lehtinen after his Gaia 36 sank off the southern Indian Ocean.

Lehtinen's vessel was 450 miles southeast of Port Elizabeth (South Africa) when she began taking on water. Lehtinen abandoned his ship and was picked up by Neuschäfer 24 later.

“We are all thrilled for Kirsten that the Rolex Sailor of the Year award recognizes her outstanding achievement and her entering the record books,” comments Johnny Rogers, Zhik’s Marketing Partnerships and global Sponsorship Manager.