Photo: Furgallàe | Wikipedia Commons
South American sailor Kirsten Neuschäfer made history by being the first woman to win the Golden Globe sailing race, one of the most challenging sailing events ever held. Before she finished the race, Neuschäfer had sailed 30,000 miles around the world solo for 235 days straight. The Golden Globe race required competitors to sail via the three great capes in the Southern Hemisphere with paper charts and sextant. They can communicate by radio but cannot accept outside help. Known as “the voyage for madmen,” this impossibly challenging race has only been held three times, with few sailors who were even able to finish the course. Neuschäfer’s win inspired many women, including Katie Gaut, who is an experienced sailor and teaches women to sail. Gaut was brought to tears when she watched the live feed of Neuschäfer crossing the finish line at the Les Sable d’Olonne harbor in France. “It’s empowering for myself, for every little girl, for everyone out there that of course women are capable, and they can beat the guys. We’ve just never gotten the chance because there are too many hurdles to even get to the start line,” said Gaut.
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