Crimson flares dyed the evening sky a blazing red as Kirsten Neuschafer guided her sailboat into the French port of Les Sables-d’Olonne on 27 April. Eight months earlier, she had left this harbour as the lone woman in a 16-entrant, around-the-world race in which solo competitors were required to use 54-year-old technology and prohibited from making stops.
During 235 days at sea, Neuschafer had only a vague knowledge of her place in the standings of the Golden Globe Race. When told by event organisers that she had won, all she could do was stare in surprise and blurt: “Really?”
Since leaving her family farm outside Pretoria, South Africa, as a teenager, Neuschafer, 41, has led a life of endless adventure: hitchhiking on ships to the Arctic, training huskies in the icy wilderness, bicycling across Africa and leading sailing expeditions to the bottom of the globe. But she had never done anything quite like the Golden Globe Race. Very few have.
This was only the second Golden Globe Race since it was revived in 2018 as a replica of the famous 1968 venture by the same name during which nine men attempted to circle the planet in sailboats. (Only one completed the circuit; another was declared dead by suicide.) It’s less a competition and more a fight to keep mind and boat intact while sailing with only instruments and communication devices available in 1968, stopping just four times at designated spots to check in with race officials in nearby boats.
Even then, the sailors aren’t allowed to leave their boats and can’t take on supplies, relying instead on whatever they packed before the trip. Aside from satellite phones used for emergencies, they are essentially on their own. “These people are fucking crazy,” Neuschafer’s friend Alicia Biggart says.
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin May 21, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The Independent dergisinin May 21, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
GONE... IN A FLASH!
Oliver Keens misses mob rule when randoms would gather in public to sing, dance or stand still, a great British tradition of silliness that is up there with gurning and gravy wrestling
'I had a very high tolerance for all his salacious stories'
Novelist Rose Boyt talks to Fiona Sturges about living in the shadow of her ‘genius’ father Lucian Freud – and how writing about their relationship has helped her to make peace with it
There's a good reason no one sends postcards any more
When I was a child, we used to go to Llandudno on holiday, and almost every shop had a rotating postcard display outside.
The UK recognising the state of Palestine is long overdue
Palestinian self-determination is the key to a just peace in the Middle East.
Arum-scarum after a savage rivalry reaches new heights
The Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall rematch was worth the wait, and late on Saturday night in front of boxing’s most fearsome wall of fans, they fought to a standstill in Leeds.
Round in circles: a race that even its drivers find boring
The Monaco Grand Prix appeals to high-rollers but on a track where overtaking is impossible the entertainment factor is zero, finds Kieran Jackson who turns to solutions
'Promised land' replaced by ticking timebomb of issues
Rather than joining the Premier League, Leeds may have to raid it for fringe players in the next Championship campaign
Fight but no light for Nadal in likely French Open adieu
The prolonged closing chapter of greats, particularly in an arena as inconsistent and undependable as professional sport, is a true tribulation of the mind.
Broadband rollout plan for 2.7 million homes and firms
Openreach has announced plans to build full fibre broadband in over 500 more locations across the UK, covering a further 2.7 million homes and businesses.
Powder keg: Indian spices linked to cancer pesticide
Two of the most popular Indian spice brands MDH and Everest are facing global scrutiny after Hong Kong, Singapore and Nepal suspended sales of their spice blends last month.