South African sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer (39) made history on April 27, 2023 when she became the first woman and first South African to ever win a round-the-world race, including solo and fully crewed races, non-stop or with stops!

Being the sole person in the boat and having to sail more than 30.000 nautical miles nonstop around the world is a huge challenge for this race.

Her 9-month voyage at sea included three Great Cape crossings, a complete circumnavigation, and she never set foot on land. Her boat had no GPS, radio, or engine—just the wind.

In addition, Kirsten was given the Rod Stephens Seamanship Award for saving Tapio Lehtinen, a contestant in the Golden Globe Race.