Around the World in 235 Days: Kirsten Wins

Ahoy! Welcome to I’dRatherBeSailing. Today’s letter is a short one, we’re just bringing you the breaking news of Kirstens historical win in the Golden Globe Race, plus a few extras. For the past year she’s been solo sailing like its 1968, playing weather roulette with just cassettes for company as she raced around the world, even saving a fellow racer in the process. Let’s get into it.

• Around the World in 235 Days: Kirsten’s historic win.

• De-masted: The Ocean Race Update

• La Pura Vida: Costa Rica Cruising, plus Where’s Wally

Around the World in 235 Days

After 235 days, South African Kirsten Neuschafer has won the Golden Globe Race. She started September 4th, 2022 from Les Sables-d’Olone, France, along with 18 other skippers, to race solo non-stop around the world via the five Great Capes. On Thursday April 27th, she sailed back across the original starting point to claim her victory, greeted by thousands of fans. She is one of only three entrants to complete the race, of 18 skippers that began 8 months ago.

This makes Kirsten the first woman to win a round the world race, including solo and crewed races, both with and without stops.

The winds that blew her into the final hours of her victory stood in sharp contrast to the harrowing seas and dangers of the Capes of the past few months that took masts, rolled boats, and eliminated other entrants.

On top of the incredible physical and technical feats of the race, she endured the mental endurance of 235 days with nothing but books and cassette players for company - in keeping with the race rules: Sail like its 1968.

Her historical win is made all the more incredible since it includes her heroic rescue of Tapio Lehtinen after his ship suddenly sank, and she diverted course to rescue him in his life raft in the middle of huge swells.

Simon Curwen was the first to cross the finish line, but was disqualified from the main class after stopping for repairs. Kirstens closest rival Abhilash Tomy is about a day behind her.

The official race results have yet to be announced, we stand by for the complete report due soon.

You can watch her triumphant arrival at the docks here, complements of the GGR official youtube channel. At about 5 minutes in someone hands her a pint of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate ice cream. Now that’s a real hero’s welcome!

Holcim PRB De-masted

The Ocean Race Update: Team Holcim-PRB Skipper Kevin Escoffier reported that they de-masted the morning of April 27th, approximately 20 miles off the coast of Brazil in moderate winds.

Crew is reported safe, and we await further updates. Holcim-PRB was in the lead at the time, 9 miles ahead of 11th Hour Racing Team.

Cruising Round the ‘Web

Falcon Refit: The Maltese Falcon has been refitted and is ready for charter starting in May. Thank goodness and just in time, we were wondering how on earth we were going to charter this season without her. Hopefully they upgraded the wifi so we don’t miss an episode of Below Deck. You can read the announcement here.

La Pura Vida: Sailing and surfing in Costa Rica. Max Campbell tells his enviable sailing adventure to Yachting World of his adventures sailing in South America. Read the story here.

You’re Keeling Me: Another Article about Sailing Tankers. The New Yorker brings us the most recent article about all the environmental benefits of wind powered shipping. These well meaning articles seem to come out once a month, saying if we could just plop some sails on top of the tankers…You can read the very nautically non-technical article here.

Where’s Wally: The Wally101, a new full carbon fiber full-custom sailboat launches. The pretty pictures to ooh-and aah are here. 

Stay safe out there you Salty Dogs, we’ll ketch you in a few days!