A young woman from Northland, New Zealand has helped make sailing history.
Rebecca Gmuer-Hornell, aged 26, was part of the first all-female crew to sail non-stop around the world. The team completed the journey in just 57 days, 21 hours, and 20 minutes—breaking a New Zealand sailing record that had stood for over 30 years.
Rebecca, from Ōpua in the Bay of Islands, sailed aboard a large racing boat called IDEC Sport. The crew of eight women included world-famous sailors from France and the UK, as well as Olympic athletes from Spain and the Netherlands. Their record-breaking voyage finished off the coast of France.
The team competed for the Jules Verne Trophy, which is awarded to the fastest crew to sail around the globe. Rebecca’s time was more than 16 days faster than the record set by Sir Peter Blake in 1994.
Sailing through huge ocean waves and wild winds, the crew faced many challenges. Rebecca said one of the hardest parts was navigating back up the Atlantic Ocean in winter, through what she called “liquid Himalayas”, giant 8-metre swells and 50-knot winds.
She said the most memorable moment was rounding Cape Horn, a famous and dangerous point at the tip of South America. “We call it the Everest of sailing,” she explained. Only about 25 women have ever done it.
Rebecca hopes their success will inspire young girls everywhere. “It shows women can do it too,” she said. “I’ve dreamed of this since I was little, and now it’s real.”
