round the world yacht race 2023 winner

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She went around the world in 235 days to win sailing's most grueling competition

Scott Neuman

South African sailor Kirsten Neuschafer beat 15 rivals in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a grueling, nonstop, round-the-world sailing competition. She is the first woman in the race's history to have taken first place. Kirsten Neuschafer/GGR2022 hide caption

South African sailor Kirsten Neuschafer beat 15 rivals in the 2022 Golden Globe Race, a grueling, nonstop, round-the-world sailing competition. She is the first woman in the race's history to have taken first place.

After 235 days alone at sea in a tiny fiberglass boat, South African Kirsten Neuschafer sailed to victory on Thursday in the 2022 Golden Globe nonstop, round-the-world race, crossing the finish line a day ahead of her closest rival.

In sharp contrast to the rough conditions she experienced during much of her voyage, Neuschafer, aboard her 36-foot Minnehaha, spent the last few hours with almost no wind, inching into the same harbor at Les Sables-d'Olonne, France, that she and 15 competitors departed on Sept. 4.

This race is a nonstop sail around the world. Cassette tapes are allowed, but no GPS

All but three of those entrants were subsequently forced out of the grueling race, regarded by many as the most challenging competition the sailing world has to offer. One boat sank in the Indian Ocean, with Neuschafer sailing to the skipper's rescue. Several others lost their masts or experienced other problems.

The Golden Globe is a unique race in which participants are not allowed to use most modern electronics to find their position at sea, relying instead on celestial navigation. It is a reboot of a famous 1968 race that resulted in the first nonstop, unassisted circumnavigation — a feat so rare that even today, more people have gone into space. The race was revived in 2018, and Neuschafer is now the first woman to win.

"I knew before I started that a large aspect of this race is luck and a large aspect is preparation," Neuschafer told NPR by satellite phone in February as she was about to round Cape Horn, where she faced 55 mile-per-hour winds and seas of 25 feet.

"The single-handed aspect was the one that drew me," she said of her decision to enter the race. "I really like the aspect of sailing by celestial navigation, sailing old school."

Neuschafer's closest rival, Abhilash Tomy, an Indian navy commander, is about a day behind her. Another competitor, Austrian sailor Michael Guggenberger, is not expected to finish for several more days.

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Meet the First Woman to Sail the ‘Voyage for Madmen’

Kirsten Neuschäfer talks about winning the nonstop, round-the-world Golden Globe race and the possibility of another circumnavigation.

By Lauren Sloss

Lauren Sloss, based in San Francisco, has sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, around Indonesia and on the San Francisco Bay aboard a 32-foot sailboat.

The nonstop, round-the-world Golden Globe Race has become a banner of “ retro sailing ,” or “sailing like it’s 1968.” Entrants for the competition, which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France, are required to sail small boats alone, using only pre-1960s-era technology — no satellite communication, autopilot, cellphones or radar. Courses are plotted using celestial navigation and a sextant.

The champion this year was 40-year-old Kirsten Neuschäfer who, after 235 days at sea aboard Minnehaha, her 36-foot Cape George sailboat, became the first woman to both complete and win the race.

But Ms. Neuschäfer is quick to state that being a figurehead was never the point.

“I did want to win, but not because I’m a woman, or because I wanted to set a record as being the first woman,” she said. “I wanted to be there as a sailor and as an equal.”

Her accomplishments — not only completing and winning the race, but also rescuing a fellow sailor — certainly promise to raise her profile. The Golden Globe, which debuted in 1968, looms large in sailor’s lore — much of the competition takes place in the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean, circling between South Africa and South America, around the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn, an area known for punishing winds and towering waves. The race has been referred to , aptly, as “ a voyage for madmen .”

Growing up in Pretoria, South Africa, Ms. Neuschäfer was always drawn to the outdoors, and to epic experiences.

“I loved reading accounts of adventures — Scott and Shackleton and Amundsen,” she said of the famed 20th-century polar explorers. “It certainly planted the seed in my mind.”

After cycling solo from Europe to South Africa at 22, Ms. Neuschäfer began crewing on sailboats in pursuit of her skipper’s license, and later, at the helm, she sailed research and film crews around the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Georgia and Falkland Islands. In preparation for the Golden Globe, her first race, she purchased and refitted Minnehaha in Canada, then sailed the boat solo to South Africa and to France for the race’s start.

Ms. Neuschäfer recently spoke about the voyage, the challenges of the doldrums — an area near the Equator plagued by light winds — and the possibility of another circumnavigation. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Despite all of your experience and preparation, was there an extra degree of intimidation around this race?

I definitely had moments when I thought: “This could be quite scary.” Before the race, I was visiting my parents in Port Elizabeth, which is known as the Windy City, and it was a night when it was really windy. I was lying in my bed in the house without any danger, but I could hear the trees bending. I was thinking, “Well, in the Southern Ocean, you’re going to experience winds that are much stronger that these winds, and on a 36-foot boat.”

Did you have any moments where you were actively afraid or simply disheartened?

I did. But ironically, those moments weren’t because of heavy weather, they were because of a total lack of wind. I got stuck in the doldrums just south of the Equator for the best part of two weeks. It’s often said by sailors that the most difficult moments are the calms, because when you are experiencing heavy weather, you’ve got something to keep you busy. There’s a bit of adrenaline. When you’ve got absolutely no wind at all, it’s incredibly frustrating.

Did you get bored or lonely? I assume that was more challenging during the calm periods, but in general, it’s a long time to be alone.

I didn’t often get bored. I made sure that I took lots of reading material. It’s the only mental escape; you read a book and you just submerge yourself into the world of whatever this book is describing. And there’s always something to fix on the boat. There were times when I would have liked to speak to a friend, to hear them tell me to just keep going. Eight months is a very long time to be in one place — you’re moving, but the place you’re in is the same. In the doldrums, I’d go for nice swims, which would help me de-stress a little.

Was there anything that you ate on the trip that you’d be happy to never consume again?

Two-minute noodles. They’re not that great to begin with, but after a few months, I could almost taste the plastic flavor of the wrapper.

How did you mark major moments in the trip?

I would have a glass of wine or maybe a little sip of rum. Those rituals were quite important. It was very important for me in general to set milestones and not just focus on the end of the race.

How did you feel as you approached the end?

There was kind of a sadness once I rounded Cape Horn. It felt like trying to summit a mountain: This is the summit and from here on it’s the descent. There was joy and happiness and relief. But this had become a lifestyle, and it would be ending soon. I had some trepidation about arriving in a place where I was expected. I had moments where I thought, “You know, I’ve still got plenty of food and water. I’m still enjoying myself.” I’d have no issue to just keep sailing.

What’s next for you and for Minnehaha?

That’s one question I haven’t been able to answer just yet. I’ve put so much focus and energy toward the Golden Globe Race since 2019. And now it’s all come to quite an abrupt ending. I bought Minnehaha on debt, and I always planned to sell her after the race. But it’s hard because I’ve done so much with this boat. I’d like to do a little trip to get a bit of closure, and I’ll probably take a bit of a break just to digest this amazing experience.

What adventures or destinations, land or sea, are high on your list of places to go?

I’d like to spend time in my own country of South Africa, particularly Transkei, or the Eastern Cape — it’s a place that’s just paradise to me. I’d like to master the language, Xhosa. I’d love to go back to the Antarctic and the Falkland Islands. There are a lot of places that I have been, but then again, there are also a lot of places I’ve never explored. There’s still a lot to do in this lifetime. And I think at some stage, though not anytime soon, I might want to do another circumnavigation. It would be totally different, because the seas are forever changing.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2023 .

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52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

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Kirsten Neuschafer wins 2022 Golden Globe Race and makes history

• Katy Stickland
• April 27, 2023

Kirsten Neuschafer has become the first woman to win a solo, round the world yacht race after winning the 2022 Golden Globe Race

Kirsten Neuschafer made it very clear from the start that she was aiming to win the 2022 Golden Globe Race . And now the South African skipper has achieved her goal, and made history in the process.

After just over 235 days at sea, the sailor crossed the finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne in France at 9pm CEST on 27 April 2023 and became the first woman to win a solo, round the world yacht race.

After a painfully slow final few miles as she ghosted towards the finish, Neuschafer actually crossed the finish line around 10 hours behind competitor, Simon Curwen, but a previous stop for repairs for the British sailor had already relegated him to the Chichester class (for those who make a single landfall).

No wind, meant it took hours for Kirsten Neuschafer to sail the Minnehaha over the finish line. Credit: Katy Stickland

Second-time Golden Globe Race competitor, Abhilash Tomy will be the next boat across the finish line, lying some 100nm astern of Neuschafer. That these three will finish within the space of a couple of days after 235 days at sea speaks to the high level of competition between these front runners.

Tired but jubilant, the focussed 39-year-old, who throughout much of the race had no idea she was leading, celebrated a hard-fought victory. Her Cape George 36 cutter, Minnehaha was then towed up the channel to the pontoon as thousands of people cheered and applauded her incredible achievement.

Among them were 2022 Golden Globe Race skippers Ian Herbert-Jones, who had just arrived from Cape Town, having been rescued from his dismasted boat just weeks before, and French sailor Damien Guillou , whose race ended after windvane steering failure on approach to Cape Town.

‘I feel very emotional and honoured,’ said Neuschafer after finishing the race. ‘I am never going to forget the welcome. I want to thank my fellow skippers as without them, there would have been no race. Simon was very difficult as he was always in front of me and I knew Abhilash was close, and this encouraged me to navigate as quickly as possible.’

Kirsten Neuschafer – the winner of the 2022 Golden Globe Race and the first woman to win a solo round the world yacht race. Credit: Katy Stickland

1997 Vendée Globe veteran Catherine Chabaud, the first female sailor to race solo non stop around the world without assistance, and the winner of the 2018 Golden Globe Race, Jean-Luc van den Heede, were there to greet Neuschafer as she stepped off her boat after nearly 8 months at sea.

Her official finishing time was 233 days, 20 hours, 43 minutes and 47 seconds. This takes into account the 35 hour time compensation and 30 litre fuel allowance given to her following her role in the rescue of fellow race skipper, Tapio Lehtinen,

Neuschafer said she was driven to keep going, even in calms and the doldrums on the way up the Atlantic, where she regularly went swimming to deal with the frustration.

‘I never thought I would give up; there was no reason to think this as I had full confidence in the boat. I never doubted I would get to the finish line.’

Catherine Chabaud, the first female sailor to race solo non stop around the world without assistance was there to greet Kirsten Neuschafter on. her arrival. Credit: Katy Stickland

Throughout the 2022 Golden Globe Race , Kirsten Neuschafer has fought to be at the front of the fleet, her ambition to win driving her more than many of the other entrants.

She deliberately chose a boat that she believed could win the race and survive the Southern Ocean.

Speaking to Yachting Monthly from Prince Edward Island, where she was refitting the boat, she said: ‘From the outset it wasn’t a question of taking any boat that was available and in my price range; it was to choose a boat that I believe can win and can survive the Southern Ocean , and then get that boat at any cost, no matter how much work.’

Kirsten Neuschafer in the lead, in early March 2023. Credit: Kirsten Neuschafer/GGR 2022

Her choice of the Cape George 36 paid off. Minnehaha has the longest LWL in the fleet, and with a generous cutter rigged 806sq ft sail plan, the boat achieved slightly higher speeds than her counterparts.

As a result, she holds the 2022 Golden Globe Race records for the best 4 hour speed average (9.80 knots), best 24 hour distance (218.9nm) and best 7 day distance (1,216.2nm).

The boat’s performance was evident after her average start in the race, but she constantly pushed, choosing to hand steer the boat rather than just rely on her Hydrovane windvane steering to make up for lost ground. Her disappointment coming 6th through the first race gate at Lanzarote was evident, but her motivation was stronger.

Kirsten Neuschafer prepared Minnehaha on Prince Edward Island. Credit: Patricia Richard

Having exited the Bay of Biscay in 10th place, she was soon climbing the leader board. Coming down the Atlantic, she chose a more coastal route to keep the island of Trinidade to port; a strategy to make the most of the current and receive weather information via her weather fax so she could identify the location of the South Atlantic High.

She took the longer, southern route with a more comfortable point of sail to reach the race’s second gate at Cape Town; a strategy that paid off when she was second through the gate behind the then race leader Simon Curwen .

Article continues below…

Kirsten Neuschafer: Golden Globe Race 2022 skipper

Kirsten Neuschafer has plenty of Southern Ocean experience, which she hopes will be an advantage as she takes part in…

Golden Globe Race: Kirsten Neuschafer: ‘I’ll give it my best shot but I’m pretty disillusioned’

Third place Golden Globe Race skipper Kirsten Neuschafer has been left frustrated by the lack of wind, which has also…

By this time, Curwen was extending his lead as he began crossing the Indian Ocean. Days after leaving Cape Town, Kirsten Neuschafer diverted from her race route to rescue fellow entrant Tapio Lehtinen, after his Gaia 36, Asteria sank around 450 miles south east of South Africa.

At the time, Neuschafer was 105 miles from Lehtinen’s position; she hand steered through the night, posting speeds of 7 knots to reach him the following morning. Once safely onboard, they waited for the arrival of the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Darya Gayatri , which would take Lehtinen to port.

Kirsten Neuschafer and Tapio Lehtinen share rum after the rescue of the Finnish skipper from his liferaft. Credit: Kirsten Nesuchafer/GGR 2022

Neuschafer was awarded a 35 hour time compensation and a 30 litre fuel allowance by the Golden Globe Race organisers.

Back in race mode, she pushed hard across the Indian Ocean, gaining 500 miles on Curwen and arrived just 29.5 hours behind him in Hobart. She briefly took first place when passing through Tasmania but then became trapped in no wind zones around New Zealand for several days.

This allowed Curwen to extend his lead by 900 miles; by this time, he was also sailing in a different weather system to Neuschafer and her nearest rival, Abhilash Tomy .

Neuschafer and Tomy swapped second and third place positions across the South Pacific, Neuschafer often frustrated by the calms, and her inability to find the better wind, which was often in the race’s Pacific exclusion zone.

She dived for 8 hours to remove the barnacles from the boat’s hull to improve her speed.

Kirsten Neuschafer/ rounded Cape Horn on Day 164 of the race. Credit: Kirsten Neuschafer/GGR 2022

Curwen, who had a 1,200 mile lead, then reported the failure of his Hydrovane self-steering gear , which forced him to make a 1,000 mile detour to Chile to make repairs; this also put him in the Chichester Class for entrants who make one stop.

This meant both Neuschafer and Tomy were back in the race for first place.

After 150 days of racing, Neuschafer took the lead and was the first to round Cape Horn on 15 February 2023.

But her routing decision up the Atlantic allowed Tomy to make gains in his Rustler 36, Bayanat , despite battling problems with his Wind Pilot windvane steering, his rig, rigging, and having to hand-stitch his mainsail after it ripped in two.

Kirsten Neuschafer took a more easterly route up the Atlantic. Credit: Kirsten Neuschäfer/GGR2022

Unlike Tomy, who stayed close to the rhumb line, Kirsten Neuschafer, who was sailing more conservatively due to a bend in Minehaha’s bowsprit, decided to take a more easterly route.

At the time she said: ‘I read up in  Ocean Passages for the World what is the best route for this time of year and the route is to pass 80 miles south of the Falklands and make for a point to the east of 35°S and 30°W at this time of year, and this is what I’ve been doing. I don’t know if it was a good idea to follow the suggestions or not.’

Doubting her easterly route, she took a more northerly route; it was a decision which would prove incredibly frustrating for Kirsten Neuschafer, who sailed through more light winds than any other 2022 Golden Globe Race sailor while sailing up the Atlantic, and meant she crossed a very wide doldrums.

This allowed both Tomy and Curwen to make gains on her position before Curwen in his Biscay 36, Clara , took the lead and become the first of the 2022 Golden Globe Race fleet to cross the finish line.

Positions of the Golden Globe Race 2022 skippers on 27 April 2022 at 2100 CEST

Kirsten Neuschafer, (South Africa), Cape George 36 cutter, Minnehaha – FINISHED 1st Abhilash Tomy , (India), Rustler 36, Bayanat – 100nm to the finish Michael Guggenberger , (Austria), Biscay 36, Nuri – 1800nm to the finish

Chichester Class:

Simon Curwen , (UK), Biscay 36, Clara – FINISHED 1st (Chichester Class) Jeremy Bagshaw , (South Africa), OE32, Olleanna – 2600nm to the finish

Edward Walentynowicz , (Canada), Rustler 36, Noah’s Jest Guy deBoer , (USA), Tashiba 36, Spirit Mark Sinclair (Australia), Lello 34, Coconut Pat Lawless , (Ireland), Saltram Saga 36 , Green Rebel Damien Guillou , (France), Rustler 36, PRB Ertan Beskardes , (UK), Rustler 36, Lazy Otter Tapio Lehtinen , (Finland), Gaia 36, Asteria Arnaud Gaist , (France), Barbican 33 Mk 2, Hermes Phoning Elliot Smith ,  (USA), Gale Force 34, Second Wind Guy Waites (UK), Tradewind 35, Sagarmatha Ian Herbert-Jones (UK), Tradewind 35, Puffin

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The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race sets off from Portsmouth

• Published 3 September 2023

Sailors have departed on a 40,000-mile nautical race around the globe.

The Clipper Round the World Race, crewed mainly by non-professional sailors, set off earlier from Portsmouth in Hampshire.

Participants have completed four weeks of training ahead of the 11-month route through treacherous seas.

Skipper Hannah Brewis said she "can't wait to tell people" about the "wild variety of places and different cultures" they would encounter.

The race is an endurance test for 11 teams, including over 700 race crew who will attempt the 40,000-nautical mile circumnavigation.

Ms Brewis said that 10m waves and big storms are some of the tough conditions that the racers would have to face.

"They're all part of the experience," she added.

The race comes with some serious health concerns as each yacht allows up to 22 paying amateurs on board.

In the race's 27-year history, there have been three fatalities, and since then organisers have been focused on safety training.

First Mate Cameron McCracken, who also took part in the race as an amateur, described the four weeks of training as "very rigorous".

"The safety's drummed into you from day one. We do man overboard drills every time we get out on the boat so safety is paramount," he said.

Race participant Fausto Prieto said the basic costs were "£52,000 for all eight legs" but he sees the expensive undertaking as "worthwhile".

The first leg sees all boats sail from Portsmouth to Puerto Sherry in Spain.

The Clipper 2023-24 Race team will also mark its first ever visit to Washington, DC, in June 2024, completing the seventh leg of the circumnavigation.

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What is The Ocean Race?

The Ocean Race is often described as the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world, sailing’s toughest team challenge and one of the sport’s Big Three events, alongside the Olympic Games and America’s Cup.

To truly understand the race, though, it’s better to think of it in a way the athletes who take part will recognise immediately. Put simply, The Ocean Race is an obsession, and many of the world's best sailors have dedicated years, even decades of their lives trying to win it.

Take Sir Peter Blake, who competed in the first edition of what was then the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973-74 and came back again and again until he finally conquered his Everest, securing an overwhelming victory with Steinlager 2 in 1989-90. Only then was he able to fully turn his attention to other projects.

The race sits, just as it always has, at the intersection of human adventure, and world-class competition. Thanks to the work of the Onboard Reporters embedded with every team, fans are given a unique insight into just what it takes to win a race that is relentless in its demands – as teams give everything they have, 24 hours a day, in pursuit of the tiny advantages that can make all the difference.

The race’s concept is simple: it’s a round-the-clock pursuit of competitive edge and the ultimate ocean marathon, pitting the sport’s best sailors against each other across the world’s toughest waters. It’s relentless: the importance of winning, the adventure of life on board, the transformative effect on the sailors — all of these combine to give the race its power and depth.

The last edition of the race was the closest in history, with three teams virtually tied, approaching the finish line. After 126 days of racing spread across 11 legs, the winning margin for Charles Caudrelier’s Dongfeng Race Team was only 16 minutes. The top three teams were separated by just four points.

A total of 2.5 million people visited the Race Villages during the 2017-18 event, getting a first-hand taste of the action. Millions more followed the action on our digital platforms, television and via the news as the race set new high-marks for international coverage.

Now we enter a new era as the event continues to evolve. Two classes will compete in the 2022-23 edition of the race with the addition of the high-tech, foiling IMOCA 60 class adding a design and technical element. The one-design VO65 fleet will race for The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup over three legs: Leg 1 from Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde, Leg 6 from Aarhus, Denmark to The Hague in the Netherlands, and Leg 7 from The Hague to Genova, Italy.

Following the success of our ground-breaking and award-winning sustainability efforts in the last race, sustainability will continue to be a core value of the race as we go forward, as we redouble our efforts to restore ocean health and lead, inspire and engage on this critical issue.

The 14th edition of The Ocean Race started from Alicante, Spain on January 15th 2023, and will finish in Genova, the Grand Finale, in Italy early in the summer of 2023. The race visits nine iconic cities around the globe over a six-month period (Alicante, Spain - Cabo Verde - Cape Town, South Africa - Itajaí, Brazil - Newport, RI, USA - Aarhus, Denmark - Kiel Fly-By, Germany - The Hague, the Netherlands - Genova, Italy) and features a leg with the longest racing distance in the 50-year history of the event - a 12,750 nautical mile, one-month marathon from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí, Brazil. The IMOCA fleet of mixed crews will pass all three great southern Capes - Cape of Good Hope, Cape Leeuwin, Cape Horn - non-stop, for the first time.

How the race is won

Although at its most fundamental level the perfect strategy for  winning The Ocean Race comes down to simply scoring more points than  your competitors, there is much more involved in emerging victorious  from a five-month, 32,000-nautical mile (36,825-mile / 60,000-kilometre)  race around the world.

The Ocean Race uses a high points scoring system with the winning  team on an offshore leg awarded points equal to the number of entries in  the race. Second place gets points equal to the number of entries minus  one – and so on down the finishing order.

However, double points are up for grabs on two of the legs: the  monster 12,750-nautical mile (14,672-mile / 23,613-kilometre) Southern  Ocean passage on Leg 3 from Cape Town, South Africa to Itajaí in Brazil –  the longest in the race’s 50-year history – and the transatlantic  crossing on Leg 5 from US city Newport, Rhode Island to Aarhus in  Denmark.

The points on Leg 3 will be split between the order in which the teams  pass the longitude of 143 degrees east – and their finishing order at  the end of the leg. On Leg 5 the points will be doubled based on the  teams’ finishing order on the 3,500-nautical mile (4,028-mile /  6,482-kilometre) transatlantic crossing.

With the rules dictating that teams which fail to finish a leg shall  receive no points, the crews will need to manage their instinct to push  their boats and themselves flat out with the need to avoid sustaining  damage that might slow them down or even force them to retire.

As well as avoiding damage the sailors need to avoid incurring penalty  points that can be awarded for any transgressions to the race’s rules,  such as entering race imposed exclusion zones, measurement violations,  and anything else deemed to be a breach of the regulations.

The final standings at the end of the race are determined based on the  teams’ total score for all of the legs – less any penalty points. The  team with the highest series score wins with others ranked accordingly.  Ties on overall points are throughout the race broken in favour of the  boat with the highest overall position in the In-Port Series.

In The Ocean Race 2017-18 after racing for eight months around the world  the top three teams were so close on points starting the final leg from  Gothenburg, Sweden to The Hague in the Netherlands that the eventual  winner – China’s Dongfeng Race Team – was not decided until the last few  miles to the finish line.

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Although tickets to this year’s Classic Yacht Symposium 2024 have sold out, there is still a good chance of getting a seat by subscribing to their waiting list here !

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In its 11th year, the Classic Yacht Symposium 2024, and Dinner, is set to be a feast for classic enthusiasts, owners, builders, businesses and the rest of the classic boat world. With their 2024 theme being ‘Beyond Limits: Where History Meets the Horizon’, this year they invite you to explore the 173-year-old America’s Cup with them, delving into its past, voyaging from the race’s history, into the excitement of the present day. 

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Find the full Classic Yacht Symposium 2024 programme here .

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• Classic Races & Regattas 2024: Classic World Events Guide

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