Kirsten Wins!

I am updating a recent blog about an amazing woman who yesterday achieved a singular triumph!

I first learned of the single sailor, around the World Golden Globe (sail boat) Race when my Key West friend Guy deBoer entered it.

The race started last year on the west coast of France on September 4th and we were there in beautiful Les Sables to see Guy off on his unique adventure.

Not only is the race solo, but it takes place in a 1968 (year of initial race) time warp, ie, no post 1968 technology is allowed.

No GPS, for example.

As Guy was preparing, in the days prior to the race, we noticed, directly across the dock, a young, attractive, athletic, blond women (pictured) scampering around and above her ship shape sail boat.

Little did we know that she was preparing to become World Famous.

She is Kirsten Neuschafer and she’s a tough 40 year old sailor from South Africa.

On September 4th, 18 stalwart souls started the race, including one women: Kirsten in her boat Minnehaha (Native American for “laughing water”).

During the race one boat sunk and Kirsten came to the sailor’s rescue, picking the unfortunate man out of the roiling sea and building her legend (many women are already wearing Kirsten tee shirts)!

Yesterday, after 7 lonely months at sea, striving to circumnavigate the globe, Kirsten sailed over 30,000 miles around the World and finished first of the 3 remaining boats in the race.

Her lead was slim at times and ever evaporating as she was at times caught in the “duldrums”. In fact she was excruciatingly stalled yesterday within sight of the finish line for hours.

Throughout the race I checked on her status countless times a day with the hope she had caught favorable wind.

It was my hope that she would win! And I imagined what that would mean!

Over 6000 people have crested Mt. Everest, but Kirsten is the first woman to win the daunting around the World single sailor GGR Race.

The wind filled her sails and carried her to a unique and very well earned victory.

All hail Kirsten’s unique and extraordinary triumph!!!