South African sailor Jeremy Bagshaw was the first to cross the start line of the Challenge Gijon Prologue this weekend. The race preludes the main event – The Golden Globe Race – which starts on the 4th September from Les Sables d’Olonnes. Along with Kirsten Neuschäfer, Jeremy is the only other South African competing in the solo non-stop race around the world, first made famous by Sir Robin Knox Johnson. Here’s what you need to know about them.
Jeremy Bagshaw
Country of entry: South Africa / Nationality: South African / Hometown: Simon’s Town
Boat: Olleana
Jeremy, a lifelong sailor was first introduced to the sport by his father at the age of 6. He graduated his sailing through various dinghies from Optimists to Lasers and Fireballs. After years of competitive dinghy sailing, his first introduction to offshore racing was as crew on a Lavranos-designed Charger 33, an IOR racer, in the 1985 South Atlantic Race from Cape Town to Punta Del Este in Uruguay. He then sailed the return delivery to Cape Town in the autumn short-handed.
Later that year, he did his first delivery as skipper of a Farr 38 from the East Coast of South Africa to Mauritius, and then skippered the race back from Mauritius to Durban. More recently he’s won the Governor’s Cup Race from Cape Town to St Helena twice, once as skipper of an inexperienced crew of Saint Helenians, and the second as co-skipper of a Farrier 31 trimaran (double-handed).
After selling his business in 2012 he decided to slow things down a bit and did some cruising with his family throughout the Indian Ocean. He also did many deliveries throughout the Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, Mediterranean, North Atlantic and Patagonia. After spending three years helping two friends start and develop a rigging business, he withdrew from the business to focus on his Golden Globe Race preparation.
“I suppose the competitive nature of sailing is an inspiration in itself, but it was the rawness and beauty of the Southern Ocean as partly experienced on a charter to Tierra del Fuego with Pelagic Expeditions in 2007 that has been the catalyst for this GGR venture,” says Jeremy.
THE BOAT
Olleanna is an OE32 Masthead Cutter
| Boat Name | Olleanna |
| Boat Type | OE32 Masthead Cutter |
| Designer | Olle Enderlein |
| Builder | Sundsör’s Ship Yard (SWE) |
| LOA | 32.45ft / 9.89m |
| LWL | 27.89ft / 8.50m |
| Beam | 10.43ft / 3.18m |
| Draft | 4.90′ / 1.50m |
| Displacement | 1373 lbs / 6220 kgs |
| Sail Area | 504sq. ft / 46.8sq. m |
Follow Jeremy here: Jeremy’s website, Facebook, Instagram
Take a boat tour with Jeremy below.
Kirsten Neuschäfer
Country of Entry: South Africa / Nationality: South African / Hometown: Port Elizabeth
Boat: Minnehaha
Kirsten has been sailing dinghies since her childhood, but since 2006 she has been sailing as her profession. From sail training to sailboat deliveries, she has built a diverse set of skills and experience. Kirsten’s longest single-handed was a delivery from Portugal to South Africa with only a wind vane as self-steering on an old 32-foot ferro-cement sloop. In 2015, she began working for Skip Novak on his Pelagic Expeditions to South Georgia, The Antarctic Peninsula, Patagonia and the Falklands.
Kirsten has sailed several film crews to capture the beauty of the Antarctic. She was featured in National Geographic series ‘Wild Life Resurrection Island with Bertie Gregory’ as she sailed his crew throughout South Georgia to shed light on the beautiful ecosystems and hardships they’ve faced. She also sailed, and was a support vessel for several crews from the newest BBC series ‘Seven Worlds, One Planet’. They filmed the leopard seal predation against gentoo penguins and albatross behaviour from Bird Island South Georgia.
Along with sailing, she also enjoys other solitary adventures. She cycled from Europe back home to South Africa on her own when she was just 22 (15000 km over approximately a year). She traveled throughout the Northwest and Central Africa into Southern Africa eventually ending in Cape Agulhas. The trip brought trials and tribulations, but was life-enriching in every sense, giving her the deepest appreciation of Africa and her people.
THE BOAT
Minnehaha is a Cape George 36.
| Boat Name | Minnehaha |
| Boat Type | Cape George Cutter, CG36 |
| Designer | Ed Monk / William Atkin |
| Builder | Cecil Lange & Son / Cape George Marine Works |
| LOA | 36′ |
| LWL | 31′ 5″ |
| Beam | 10′ 6″ |
| Draft | 5.0ft |
| Displacement | 23,500 lbs |
| Sail Area | 780 sq.ft. |
This boat design was created by Cecil Lange, an esteemed boat builder. With the help of Ed Monk, a designer, the Cape George 36 is a fiberglass adaptation of the Tally Ho Major, Atkins 1930s boat.
Minnehaha is a fictional native woman from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1855 poem ‘The Song of Hiawatha’. She is the lover of the poem’s primary character, Hiawatha. The name Minnehaha is said to mean ‘laughing water’. It more accurately translates to ‘waterfall’ in the Dakota Sioux language.
Follow Kirsten here: Kirsten’s website, Instagram, Facebook
Take a tour of Kirsten’s boat below.
