Calling 40-year-old Kirsten Neuschäfer fearless is like calling the sea wet. It’s not a state she has achieved simply by overcoming every obstacle; it’s part of her DNA.
At the age of 22, much to her mother’s horror, Kirsten set off to achieve her dream of cycling through Africa from Germany to Cape Agulhas – and she did it: 15000km over the course of a year. The experience, hard as it was, cemented what she already knew: she wanted a life of adventure. She signed up for a basic sailing course, then started crewing for anyone who would have her, ‘just to clock up miles so that I could get to the next level’. After a stint teaching at a sailing school in East London, she progressed to sailboat deliveries, first coastal, then offshore.
It was a delivery from Portugal to South Africa – a two-month solo trip – with only a wind-vane as self-steering on an old 32-foot ferro-cement sloop that whetted her appetite for long-distance solo sailing. And when she heard about the Golden Globe Race (GGR) in 2018 – a solo around-the-world ‘retro’ sailing race – Kirsten couldn’t resist.
She spent a year in the Prince Edward Islands (PEI) refitting her boat, Minnehaha. (It is now even the subject of a song by a PEI singersongwriter: Lennie Gallant wrote about Kirsten and her GGR journey in the song ‘On the Minnehaha’.)
She shares with us the highs, lows and remarkable experiences that will stay with her for a lifetime.
What is different about this race?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July/August 2023-Ausgabe von Fairlady.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July/August 2023-Ausgabe von Fairlady.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Easter with edge
Grant knows what it's like to miss out on the celebrations that anchor family life.
The MALE bias
Historically, medical studies were mainly done on male mice and on men; and then extrapolated to treat women, as if a female body were just a smaller version of a male one. Here’s why that doesn’t make sense, and how to work with your body’s natural rhythm for better health.
Wellbeing
How to sleep better, feel better and look better!
The other type of CHEATING
Lies about money can have devastating consequences in a relationship.
THE 'PEST' IN PESTICIDES
oe r Despite many highly Hs hazardous pesticides being banned in their countries of origin, 192 of them are still legally exported to South Africa
START A BUSINESS LIKE a Saffer
There's nothing quite like a South African entrepreneur. In the face of adversity, they innovate and persevere. But what fuels that determination? We chatted to some self-starters to find out.
How to take the MONOTONY OUT OF MONOGAMY
It's easy to get complacent in a long-term relationship. Before you know it, your partner is little more than your roommate. Here's how to shake things up.
SUPER TROUPER
At one point, Josie Borain was the most famous model in the world. Her face was on every magazine that mattered. And in the madness of all that attention, she never lost her sense of self. She talks to us about turning 60, being single, and starting her third act with a move to the platteland.
Little wonder
Over the years we have visited 16 Greek islands, but when we first set foot on Halki, the little-known gem just south of Rhodes, we knew we'd found the closest thing to the perfect one. And we vowed to return. Often.
HOME AFFAIRS
These three entrepreneurs are redefining the heartbeat of homes through their unique blend of creativity, sustainability and purposeful design.