KIRSTEN NEUSCHÄFER GGR JULY 2022 NEWSLETTER
A warm hello to everyone who has been following, and again, my apologies that it has taken a while to send out this newsletter, as well as a certain amount of “radio silence” while underway (and perhaps even while ashore?). As always, there is so much happening, and so much to do, with the start-line of the Golden Globe Race drawing rapidly nearer, and many deadlines to meet and preparations to finalize.
Read on to hear more about where I have been for the last — number of days, but before I get to the present, let me tell you about the months leading up to it: As you might know, I spent just over 3 months back home in Cape Town, after a very successful and first, longer passage and ocean-crossing on MINNEHAHA – the sail from PEI, Canada back home to South Africa.
The time in Cape Town was not only so important in order to catch up with friends, but so needed to further work on MINNEHAHA – among other things, fix the leaking portholes and do various installations and tweaks. A very big thank-you goes here to Manuel Mendes from East Quay Boat Yard, who was there to meet me in his little motorboat “Ngomkumbi”, at the entrance to the Cape Town harbour, for a warm, heart-felt welcome back home. Manuel’s support was paramount throughout my and MINNEHAHA’s time in South Africa.
Firstly, Manuel had us on his dock for the entire period, except for 3 weeks, while I went home to the Eastern Cape – and he did not charge a cent for mooring, but beyond that, he organized and donated all sorts of materials from nuts and bolts, paint, poles, fittings, blocks, compasses, RDF etc. – and between him and Fabian Stormvogel, they did all sorts of specialized little jobs that were needed – and again, this was all done without charge, as a very generous contribution and form of support towards this race! It’s not surprising, that Manuel was there again on “Ngomkumbi” to see me off out of Cape Town, by accompanying me back to the breakwater, this time with Fabian, my mother, Annette and friend Yousef. Manuel’s support, however, did not end once I sailed out of Cape Town – he continues to stay in touch with me – and he has been a great support in organizing anything from a distance via Iridium SMS – not to mention being the Portuguese connection! Thank you so much, Manuel, Fabian and the whole team at East Quay Boat Yard! Your friendship journeys along with me aboard MINNEHAHA!
Another job that needed to be worked on urgently while I was in Cape Town, was the SSB radio. The one that we had installed on PEI turned out to be deaf. This is where a big thank you goes to James Scott, who came to the rescue with an ICOM SSB, which he sourced, ran tests on first to make sure it was in perfect working order, and which we then installed and tested thoroughly, also making contact with Cape Town Radio while still in port. He also tested the weatherfax, helped with the installation of the Iridium antenna and new antenna for the AIS alarm, he tested and did minor repairs to an RDF which Manuel donated – and was always ready to take a phone call and give his advice and input on all and any questions pertaining to comms and electrics – and anything else boat related – down to advising one rather to go and have a beer than get excessively frustrated and rush into a job without giving it enough thought. James’s help also extends far beyond Cape Town: once underway, we had arranged a sched with James, and spoke to him as far as St. Helena, and he still continues to offer his remote assistance! So, James – a very big thank you! James also established the comms between me on MINNEHAHA and my fellow South African competitor, Jeremy Bagshaw on his Olleanna.
Now a word to my fellow competitor, Jeremy: I met him for the first time while working on MINNEHAHA in Cape Town – and he must be the best kind of co-competitor one could wish for. Jeremy freely shared all sorts of useful contacts for sourcing things and any other information that could be useful. We did our survival at sea course together in St. Helena Bay on the West Coast, and we had a little chat via SSB every second night all the way up to the Azores. I can really say, that it’s not only an honour, but also a lot of fun to be in this together with Jeremy – and I view him primarily as an ally – and one that I am very grateful for. It’s good to be able to compare notes and talk to someone who is doing the same thing parallel to you – it’s helpful and it’s good for the morale – and with Jeremy, I just know that if push comes to shove, he’ll have my back, and I certainly would have his! Go Jeremy! As much as we all want to win – I really wish you the very best for this race, and it’s a comfort to know you’ll be out there too!
Cape Town was also the place to sort out the final inventory of sails for the race. A big thank you to Geoff Meek from the North Sails loft in Cape Town. It was fun discussing and working on the project with Geoff and with the ongoing help from John Danly, who has been helping and advising with sails from the word go. Geoff came up with some cool ideas, and the result is, some really cool sails, that I am very happy with! North Sails, Cape Town, also gave a considerable discount, but so too did Contender Sailcloth!
Thank you so much for supplying such a generous quantity of material and for the support you have shown! It is an honour to have top quality material from Contender Sailcloth, partnered with top quality design and workmanship from North Sails, Cape Town! Both Geoff and Manuel came out for a sail on MINNEHAHA to test the new sails, and we were all very impressed!
There was a lot of stocking up of stuff that needed to happen in Cape Town. Mainly a lot of the compulsory safety equipment. This inventory includes 2 Iridium 9555 sat phones, and an Iridium antenna. Here I would like to say a very big thank you to Jeremy and Aida from Northern Axcess, who have been supporting me ever since I first made contact with them quite some time ago. Imagine this: WITHOUT my even having asked, they offered to sponsor the second, brand new Iridium 9555 unit, as well as the antenna, the antenna cable and the adaptor. They have also been sponsoring my subscription to UUPLUS mail, which allows me to download grib-files (obviously only up until the start of the race). And, so, they shipped me their generous care package all the way from Seattle to South Africa – and thanks to that, I have had the safety feature of Iridium 9555 and comms, as well as ticking the box for requirements for the race. Good on you and thank you, Northern Axcess!
Now more on note of safety equipment: another requirement is to have 2 harnesses on board. One needs to be self-inflating with an arrangement for attaching a PLB, which obviously also means that one requires a PLB. Here a very big thank you goes to MRT in the UK, who made contact with me a while back, and also offered to sponsor this gear for the race – so they have now very generously supplied not one, but TWO self-inflating safety harnesses, with replacement CO2 cartridges as well as the PLB. Grand! Huge benefit for taking to the high seas, potential life-saving donations, and more ticks on the long list of boxes that need to be ticked in order to be able to do an event like this. Big thank you, MRT and Marcus, who put it all into place!
Additional equipment, like handheld VHF, flares, life-sling recovery equipment, life-rings, whistles, survival rations etc. were purchased from Seaport Supply at a discounted rate. Thank you, Deon, for the helpful and friendly service and the discounts… Every bit helps!
Now not to forget, that I had been away from South Africa for more than 2 years, mainly due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic, so getting home was a very special, necessary and important thing for me to do – and I was overwhelmed to see my family again! My sister, Pascale, was standing at the swing bridge of the V&A Waterfront waving to me, the evening that I sailed into Cape Town, and my mother, Annette arrived the very next day (and she would have been there that first evening with my sister, if it had not been for the fact that her car broke down on the way from Port Elizabeth). Anyhow, it was a grand reunion. My mother then spent almost a whole month on board with me, helping me primarily to fix the portholes, but doing all and any kind of job I would ask her – and then on top of that, she would make sure there was always a wholesome meal on board after a hard days work. This was a really special time for me with my mother, as my crew! We had a lot of fun in between the work, and it was a great way to catch up and spend time with her. She cannot even imagine what a great support she was to me – in every practical but also moral sense – and I am really grateful to her for all of her time, energy and effort she gave me. We then drove together from Cape Town back to Port Elizabeth, had a fun little road trip, for me then finally to get home to see my father, Sigi, and my dogs again. The value of family and home-time cannot be underestimated! I spent about 3 weeks in PE, having a (much needed) break from MINNEHAHA (and I am sure she was happy to have a bit of solitude after all the hammering and chizzling and rushing about on her). Fortunately, the V&A Waterfront Marina very generously let MINNEHAHA occupy one of their extremely well-sheltered berths, in their stunning marina, during the time that I was away. So, I knew that Minnehaha was safe. Thank you, V&A – Louis and Josh – your support and willingness to help is much appreciated!
My father, Sigi, then came back with me from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town, so I got to do another fun little road trip with him, and he then spent about 3 weeks with me aboard MINNEHAHA, sanding and varnishing and taking care of odd little jobs on boars, of which there are always endless amounts. More quality time spent with my father, while still making progress with the tasks at hand.
In general, home-coming was very special, and I was made to feel welcome and supported even before I got to South Africa: the Royal Cape Yacht Club extended an invitation which my team passed on to me while I was still out at sea – showing a great amount of support, for which I am very grateful. They offered free mooring at their club, as well as issuing me with temporary membership and access to the club, to use any of their facilities. They arranged a fun press event, with great wines sponsored by…All in all a lot of effort went into the event, and the RCYC continued to offer their support throughout my stay in Cape Town, later arranging yet another event for both Jeremy and me, and with Don McIntyre virtually present via Zoom.
Now on the topic of yacht clubs: a huge thank you goes out to the Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club. I was contacted by their commodore, Jana Loubser, asking whether they could arrange a fund-raising event for me, which they then duly did. It was an absolutely unforgettable evening! A very generous person sponsored all the food for the evening, this food having been turned into delicious, traditional, South African “potjie” – hmmm yum! Tickets which included the said potjie as dinner, were sold to members as well as the general public, the proceeds of which went towards the fund-raising. The Gordon’s Bay Rotary Club was also present and supporting the event, and in general, there was a great turn-out of really keen and enthusiastic people, all there to show their support. There was live music and great ambience to go with the good food – and on top of it, a wine auction! Bottles of fine, mainly South African, vintage wine were donated by members and then sold at phenomenal prices, all towards helping me to the start-line. Certain individual members even upped the amount raised, by throwing in some generous donations. To everyone who helped make that fund-raiser such a memorable event and such a great success: I am still overwhelmed by the kindness and the generosity!
Certain individual members even upped the amount raised, by throwing in some generous donations. To everyone who helped make that fund-raiser such a memorable event and such a great success: I am still overwhelmed by the kindness and the generosity!
I have stuck a sticker of the burgee of Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club on MINNEHAHA’s mast on the section below deck – and not a day aboard goes by, that I do not see it and think back of the support that was shown me that evening! Thank you to all involved and all who were there to show their support!
The False Bay Yacht Club is another club that extended a welcome to me even before I arrived. FBYC also contacted my team ahead of time to offer me free mooring at their beautiful club in Simon’s Town. For logistical reasons I stayed in Cape Town, but the gesture was very touching, and I subsequently went over one evening to the club, to talk a bit about the preparations for the race. This evening too was a lot of fun and I have 2 good bottles of wine on board, stowed for a special occasion, a gift from FBYC. So, thank you too for the support. It’s so encouraging to know that my fellow South African sailors from whichever club they might be from, are backing me!
While I was in Cape Town, I also has a good chat to Paul Trammell, who contacted me for a podcast. This was the second podcast Paul had invited me to do with him – and again, it to be fun chatting to him about all things concerning boating and sailing. Now this particular podcast, which Paul then made public, served a secondary, off-shoot benefit: Capetonian boatbuilder Jeff Stephenson happened to have listened to this podcast, and heard me speaking to Paul about the difficulties I have with not being able to sit at my (chair-less) nav table, and it not being an athwartships-oriented nav table either. Now, Jeff got thinking, and sent me an email, very kindly offering to build me a “portable” nav table. It was a great idea, and he got working on it, so that by the time I was ready to leave Cape Town, I had this super-cool nav table – one complete with the desk surface that can be opened, with stowage compartment for plotting sheets and almanacs etc., with a soft, cushion-like section below it, that takes on the shape of any surface you put it on (like your lap), and that you can therefore also orientate at any which angle you like. It’s simply brilliant, and I love it! I can pick it up and sit on whichever side is more comfortable, depending on the tack, and happily do my sight reduction calculations and plotting. It has made celestial navigation so much more comfortable, and it’s also just an incredibly kind gesture by someone who I had not met before! It’s these type of contacts with people that really, really cheer me on – really original, unique and sincere gestures of support, that make me keep going, even when the going gets tough. Jeff also came to see MINNEHAHA and decided that I should have a nice bean-bag on board – a comfortable, big cushion that I can use below deck to make life more comfortable for reading and writing and lounging – but also above deck on a nice day out in the cockpit. On a long and arduous voyage, the addition of comforts like these means more than one can imagine! Thank you, Jeff! Too cool!
On a note of media, I’d like to say a very big thank you to Ian Henderson, Thinkteam…Ian spent a lot of time and effort on and around MINNEHAHA while we were in Cape Town, taking footage. The result of this is something that shows Ian to be a very creative film-maker, story-teller and cinematographer. The result of this will become public very soon! Keep watching to see!
I would also like to say a word of thank you to Eben Human, for taking such interest in the campaign, taking some great photos, publishing a really well-written article in “Die Burger”, and just generally being such a support! Eben has reported on many sports and particularly sailing events, and it’s really encouraging when a journalist of his caliber shows such an interest!
As our time in Cape Town drew to a close, it was also time to give MINNEHAHA’s hull a little scrub. Here I’d like to thank Momelezi and Malusi from Offshore Yacht Services, who came on really short notice to do the job. Fortunately there wasn’t really much growth, but from the months of standing in port, the hull had a good coat of slime on it – and besides, it’s always good to do a little hull inspection!
Then a lovely surprise one day in my inbox: a song written by Heather Nova. Heather heard about my participation in the GGR, by my much appreciated team-member and advisor, Alan Burland. Heather then decided to write an original song for me to take with on the race.
Heather spent some of her childhood living/sailing on “Moon”, a 42″ gaff ketch built by her parents. The only powered item on the boat was a tape deck that ran off a wind generator on top of the mizzen mast and many days were spent at sea, listening to singers/songwriters of the 1970s. Heather was impressed that the Golden Globe Race maintains the ethos and technology of the first race.
So, as you can see, I have been so incredibly privileged and lucky with all sorts of support that has come my way and throughout this project – and now original music!
There have simply been so many people who have helped in Cape Town. Another such person is my dear friend, Sue Beattie, who gave me a whole box of books – not just any books – but good reads! Now, some might think that’s a bit of an indulgent luxury -but, in fact, I tend to devour books while at sea, and I see them as a necessity! As much as the body needs to be fed, so too does the mind! And especially when you have no one but yourself to talk to! Thank you, Sue!
My mother also came back to Cape Town, together with our dear family friend Yousef Pourrahim. They came to help me in the final couple of weeks leading up to departure and also to drive my car back to PE. Yousef, thank you for taking your holidays to come and work like a slave on MINNEHAHA, with boundless energy, willingness and diligence, down to being willing to run over to the waterfront at even just the slightest hint of anyone (who possibly?) wishing for some ice-cream. And dearest Mother – as always, the love and effort you have put into me and my projects throughout my life, are paramount in what I have been able to do! It was strange leaving Cape Town, and suddenly being alone out at sea again – I kept on thinking my two ground-support crew were still aboard. But alas, I was alone – and there was no one making me coffee anymore, and no more ice-cream to be had either…
Now also a very big thank you to my managers (of which I have not only one, but TWO – haha! – this is because I am lucky (and not because I am so difficult to manage).
As we have not yet announced it: Jerome Drnovsek, a long-standing friend of mine, as well as team member, has now accepted the managerial tasks, together with Alicia Biggart, who has been part of this campaign from the moment it was born, and who played a pivotal role in my even signing up for this whole mission! I have been in touch with my 2 managers while out at sea, as well as team member Arleigh Hudson, while they have been managing all sorts in the background, and running all sorts of errands for me. I am extremely lucky to have a great team behind me – all of whom are friends and volunteers, and it cannot be overstated how supportive they have been and all the background effort they have gone to!
Now, again, last, but not least, I’d like to thank Eddie Arsenault too for his ongoing support! Eddie is my number one support person I turn to for all sorts of boat technicalities, because he is the only other person who knows MINNEHAHA as well as I do. Besides that, he is one of the most dependably solid and resourceful people around. While at sea, I would frequently Iridium SMS Eddie, ask him his opinion and advice, as well as ask him to source things for me. He’d then contact the right people, source and/or fabricate the right parts, package them and have them on their way in no time to be waiting in the next port! Thanks, mate! I owe you big-time!
OK, so now where am I if I am writing this newsletter and getting it ready to send? Obviously somewhere ashore where I have internet access! But there haven’t been any updates to that effect, so…?
Well, I am ashore, and have been for a number of days. I have been maintaining “radio silence”, mainly so that I can just get on with the important jobs at hand so close to the start-line. But truth be told, I have been on Sao Miguel in Ponta Delgada, the beautiful Azores, where I arrived exactly 48 days after leaving Cape Town.
I had a really good sail up here, and one that I really enjoyed! Leaving Cape Town in early May, means leaving into relatively light winds (as opposed to leaving earlier when it is still more summery in the Southern hemisphere and one can bargain on a good blast of the Cape Doctor Southeasterlies to spur one on into the fair Trades). The first few days follow the coast a little more closely than an earlier departure would have required, and the water of the cold, North-flowing Benguela has a a somewhat greenish tint. Firstly, the magnificent Table Mountain gets smaller in one’s wake, until upon a the first night, all that can still be seen is the loom of the city, but the mountain seems to have been swallowed up. Lights can still be seen off the rather desolate, desertic West Coast – perhaps oil rigs or diamond diving vessels? In proximity to the coast, Cape Fur Seals readily come and check out the boat in their curiosity – animals that always make me happy upon seeing them – and albatross grace the airs. Patches of kelp float around, bearing witness to the last strong winds that would have dislodged the kelp and eventually sent it offshore… And then one day you wake up, and the air is warmer, because the seawater is warmer, and the sea is a deep blue, and there are no more Cape fur seals around. Tropic birds have replaced the albatross, and the horizon is lined with those sheep-like cumulus clouds typical of the trade-winds…
Light, down-wind sailing was exactly what MINNEHAHA and I needed. For one, it’s pretty comfortable, and after mainly almost beating all the way from Canada to South Africa on the previous run, a little more comfortable sailing was rather pleasant, but more importantly: MINNEHAHA and I needed to get familiar with how best to keep speed going downwind and in light airs. So, I had plenty of opportunity to play around with spinnakers and code 0’s, and especially practicing the hoists and the drops without the use of a sock or modern furling gear or any such. So, it was good, it was fun, it was informative – (and it was pretty comfortable). The light airs really kept me on my feet. Many a balmy evening spent in the cockpit, looking at the gennaker pull MINNEHAHA along, and watch the sun set, whilst listening to a little tune – sometimes some dolphins surfing in the bow wave… ahhhhh, the moments that make everything worthwhile!
We had running conditions right up until about 7 degrees North, when we got becalmed. Was time to have a little swim in the warm water, a little snorkel and dive around the boat, and prepare for what thereafter would become another long beat. After 3 days of relative calm, but also intermittently very squally conditions, as is typical for the doldrums, the Northeaster set in good and solid, and after that it was a long beat. Passing the Cape Verdes and the Canaries covered us in a good, layer of Sahara dust too – so much so, that you would have thought that MINNEHAHA and I had been doing some serious off-roading. I was glad then that I wasn’t using my new sails, but rather using my old sails as delivery sails, because they went from being white to reddish brown! Thinking of the significance of this dust and experiencing it first-hand is a privilege in itself: imagine being over 500 nautical miles away from any land, out in the middle of the ocean, and yet getting covered in this fine dust? The sun sets into the sea, like a true African sunset, over parched, dry land – an incredibly special atmosphere, in both the literal and figurative sense! Now this dust is not just something that covers your boat and your sails and make you go on some OTT mission to get you boat clean again – no – this dust is very significant: it carries all sorts of nutrients in it, and gets blown right across the Atlantic, largely to rain out over the Amazon! The soil of the Amazon is pretty nutrient poor, as it has been leached out by the forest over thousands of years – so this nutrient rich dust is crucial to the rainforests of South America! It’s a beautiful example of the interlinked systems of our planet: a desert supplies a rain-forest with nutrients, which in turn supplies the whole world with a significant percentage of its oxygen. And so, to sail through this aeolian fertilizer is rather eye-opening and grand, albeit a dusty affair!
So, MINNEHAHA and I remained on a beat right up until the Azores, except for 2 days when we were relatively becalmed in the Azores high, and after the becalming were back on a beat again. The first land we saw was the tall volcano of Pico, shortly after which we had frequent dolphin visits to the bow wave right up until Sao Miguel. We arrived outside the harbour just after midnight, so dropped anchor to await daylight, and then motored into port and slipped alongside one of the floating berths in the marina. Always grand to be back on land after extended time at sea – nothing like some good, Portuguese food and drink, and the chance to interact with the super-friendly Azoreans, as well as talk to, and meet the folk off the other sailboats in the marina – mostly cruising folk with interesting stories! So, a couple of days after arrival, the very accommodating marina of Ponta Delgada, made the travel lift and a little space on the hard available for me to do some below-the-waterline work: final chance to put on a couple more coats of antifouling, check anodes etc., and attend to any other jobs that are easier done on the hard (and there is never any shortage of jobs on a boat!!!). So, here we are, with me busily doing as much as I can, before we imminently continue our journey towards France!
We’re very close now to the start-line!!! Both geographically, as well as in what remains of time! Less than 2 months to go. MINNEHAHA and I are well prepared. We have had all sorts of conditions to practice in, and opportunities to tweak, fix and improve. We’re feeling ready and up to the challenge – and we’ve had more support than we could ever have wished for, or even imagined up until this point!
However, we’re not quite there yet – and you’re never there until you’re there. This is the last, hard and important push up until the start-line! In a project that has been ongoing now since the end of 2019, and a workload that was immense, a budget that turned out to be very demanding and challenges that sometimes seemed unsurmountable, it feels good to be this far, and the start-line feels like it is within reach! Realistically, we still need to raise about $15,000 to make the start-line, to be able to pay outstanding fees and debts that simply need to be paid in order to start. This is no small amount, but I believe it is achievable.
So, upwards and onwards! And as always, my sincerest gratitude to everyone who has helped, in any which capacity, no matter how big or how small the gesture – for all the good wishes and to everyone who has been following. You are all part of the journey and of what has made this already incredible adventure possible!
Kirsten
GOLDEN GLOBE RACE UPDATE
18 starters for the third edition of the Golden Globe
Three North American entrants sailing against the clock crossing the Atlantic
Tapio Lehtinen ships his yacht to Spain and Graham Dalton tries to re-enter GGR
Three overseas entries about to make landfall in France and the UK in the next week
Gijón and Les Sables d’Olonne preparing for the Prologue and the Race village
Guy deBoer, left Florida late June and his “Spirit” is currently making good progress in the North Atlantic with another 2000 miles to Gijón in time for the prologue and completing his survival course.
27-year-old Elliott Smith left Boston USA on his Gale Force 34 on July 10th a month behind schedule. He will miss the entire Prologue, sailing direct to Les Sables d’Olonne instead. He must then undertake the compulsory eight-day World Sailing Survival Course and STCW Medical Care course prior to the start on Sept 4th. This looks unlikely, as he has the whole Atlantic to cross.
Canadian Gaurav Shinde had motored his Baba 35 from Toronto to New York, ready for his transatlantic crossing, but dislocated his shoulder while putting the mast up. Already running late, he is now using his two-week recovery time to do his STCW Medical Care course. Scheduled to depart July 20, he will not make the Gijón Prologue after his 3000-mile qualifier on an untested boat fresh out of refit. Will he make the start?
In addition to the GGR compulsory survival and medical courses, there are mandatory safety briefings in both Gijón and Les Sables d’Olonne. Missing any of these will activate time and financial penalties which is highly likely.
To save time Finnish entrant Tapio Lehtinen “Captain Barnacle” is shipping his yacht Asteria to Bilbao, Spain. During the 2018 GGR he was plagued by Barnacles that meant he was the last finisher after 322 days at sea. For 2022 he has new antifouling and is out to win! Meanwhile, New Zealander Graham Dalton, who recently retired from the GGR is now hoping to rejoin the event. This will not be considered until he completes his 2000 mile qualifying voyage and all other safety requirements before entering Gijón on 6th August.
Canadian Edward Walentynowicz is completing his return crossing from Nova Scotia departing on June 20th on his Rustler 36 Noah’s Jest. He left Les Sables d’Olonne a year ago, sailing home to complete his refit and is expected back in Vendée this week.
South African Jeremy Bagshaw ends his 6000-mile journey from South Africa after a short stop in Horta to sort engine issues. He expects to make landfall in Falmouth this week, just in time to attend the rugby test match between Wales and South Africa!
Kirsten Neuschäfer, is well into her trip from Cape Town to Europe, started mid-May. Including her 7000 nm trip from Prince Edward’s Island to South Africa after refit, she now has sailed an impressive total of 13000 miles solo on MINNEHAHA. She is well prepared.
Gijón is gearing up to welcome the sailors and their team managers, who will meet for the first time during the Prologue from 6 to 14 August for safety briefings and a final chance to relax in the Asturian port city.
The SITraN Challenge, a 280-mile course, will lead them from Gijón to the port of Sables d’Olonne, which will welcome the public in a bigger 7,000 m2 village from 20 August to 4 September, departure date of the 18 skippers around the world. The number of entrants is now 18 out of the original 30 paying entries, the same number as in the second edition four years ago.
The GGR is a race of attrition rather than performance, a journey to the finish that in many ways has already begun, and this year is no exception!
2022 GGR entrants to date
- Abhilash Tomy (43) / India / Rustler 36
- Aleix Selles Vidal (34) / Spain / Rustler 36
- Arnaud Gaist (50) / France / BARBICAN 33 MKII (long keel version)
- Damien Guillou (39) / France / Rustler 36
- Edward Walentynowicz (68) / Canada / Rustler 36
- Elliott Smith (27) / USA / Gale Force 34
- Ertan Beskardes (60) / UK / Rustler 36
- Gaurav Shinde (35) / Canada / Baba 35
- Guy deBoer (66) / USA / Tashiba 36
- Guy Waites (54) / UK / Tradewind 35
- Ian Herbert Jones (52) / UK / Tradewind 35
- Jeremy Bagshaw (59) / South Africa / OE32
- Kirsten Neuschäfer (39) / South Africa / Cape George 36
- Mark Sinclair (63) / Australia / Lello 34
- Michael Guggenberger (44) / Austria / Biscay 36
- Pat Lawless (66) / Ireland / Saga 36
- Simon Curwen (63) / UK / Biscay 36
- Tapio Lehtinen (64) / Finland / Gaia 36 Masthead sloop
