She’s joking, of course. There’s about as much chance of Kirsten Neuschäfer settling down to the 9 to 5 grind as there is of Donald Trump becoming South Africa’s Minister for Social Welfare.
In fact, having recently returned to Cape Town permanently with her Golden Globe-winning boat (see newsletter video below), Kirsten already has plans to set sail, to do a yacht delivery, not a solo circumnavigation. “Next planned is a delivery from Turkey to Seattle via the Northwest Passage,” she told SABBEX during a brief catch-up. “It is planned to be done over two Northern summers: this upcoming one from Turkey to Scotland and then in the northern summer 2026 from Scotland through the NWP to Seattle. In between the two phases I have a few other contract jobs planned.”
No doubt these jobs will seem like holiday cruises relative to her 235-day odyssey in becoming the first woman to complete the Golden Globe solo race since its inception in1968.
However, in addition to figuring out her future plans, Kirsten has another big decision ahead of her: what to do with her record-beating yacht, Minnehaha, which has sailed its way firmly into solo sailing history. It has also sailed its way into her soul – a second home that enabled her greatest adventure. “I haven’t actively been looking for a buyer, as I’m still undecided as to whether I want to sell or not. After having done so much work on the boat – and the quality of work, especially by Eddie Arsenault, it’s a hard decision to sell, because the boat is now in such good condition, with so many custom jobs done. I almost struck a lease deal with a person wanting to lease her for the next GGR, but that fell through as the person had medical problems.”
“It’s a topic that has been coming up repeatedly for me with boat owners over the last months: we tend to view our boats as more than just material assets – one gets attached to them as though they have a soul. I couldn’t think of anything worse than selling her to someone who might neglect her or no longer use her as a boat, meant to be sailed,” Kirsten said.