On October 29, 2023, Cole Brauer set sail off the coast of A Coruna, northwest Spain, as part of more than a dozen sailing competitors in the Global Challenge to sail solo around the world.
Som 130 days later, Bauer completed the race, becoming the first American woman to sail nonstop worldwide by herself.
Brauer is 5-foot-2 (1.6 meters) and 100 pounds (45.4 kg). However, despite her relatively small stature, her younger age, and the pressure of being the only female competitor, she finished second in the race out of 16 racers who began the challenge.
The 29-year-old was ecstatic when she pulled her 40-foot sailboat First Light into A Coruna after her 30,000-mile (about 48,000 km). Amid the cheers of her family and fans waiting for her on shore, she couldn’t hide her joy.
“This is really cool and so overwhelming in every sense of the word,” she said before drinking Champagne from her trophy.
A treacherous journey of solo sailing around the world
The four-month journey across the sea is not easy, even for a sailboat with a full crew. It’s even more difficult for someone doing it solo, male or female. It includes navigating the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope, before heading eastward toward Australia.
She also had to round the unforgiving Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America before returning to Spain. Cape Horn is where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet and is known for its massive waves, chilly waters, and stray bergs. According to NASA, this place is known as the “graveyard of ships.”
According to Marco Nannini, organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, sailing solo is more tasking than climbing Everest. He cites that less than 200 people have sailed across the seas solo, while thousands have scaled the mountain. Comparisons aside, sailing solo is difficult because the sailor must steer the boat, fix the sailboat, understand the weather, and care for their physical health.
During her voyage, there was a scary moment caught on camera where she badly injured her rib after being thrown across her boat by a 30-foot wave. At another time, she administered an IV into her arm because she had become too dehydrated at sea. In an interview with PBS, she was asked if she was ever scared during her journey, to which she replied:
“Yes. So, there were a couple of moments. That was probably the biggest moment I ever was fearful of. These boats, these manmade objects, are not made to handle this type of stress, maybe 10,000 or even 20,000 miles, but almost 30,000 miles.”
The mental fortitude to survive a long solo journey
Physical strength and endurance are great attributes for any sailor. However, most commentators praised Brauer’s mental fortitude throughout her whole journey. Luckily, thanks to Starlink satellites, she could constantly communicate with members of her logistics team, have video calls with her family, and stay entertained with Netflix whenever she was free.
She also updated her fanbase on Instagram about her difficult journey at sea. Technically, she wasn’t alone on the First Light for most of her journey. Still, she says having no connection with anyone was one of the most challenging parts of her journey, especially the first days.
“I’m good at being alone, but now I was completely alone, and there was no one to confide in. I don’t tell many people this, but I cried every day for the first two weeks because I just missed team dinners, being able to go out for drinks, and having croissants and cappuccinos.”
A courageous journey in a male-dominated field
Cole Brauer grew up in Long Island, New York, and had never sailed until she went to college in Hawaii. She fell in love with sailing and gave up her career as a doctor to become a female sailor. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing because most professional racers hesitate to include a 100-pound young woman on their team.
She says she had difficulty finding sponsors for the Global Solo Challenge because most considered her a “liability.” But she says she puts in extra effort when naysayers say: “You’re too small.”
Two women had achieved this incredible sailing feat before Brauer. Poland’s Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz took two years (1976 to 1978) to sail around the world. Nine years later, Australia’s Kay Cottee became the first woman to sail around the world nonstop, completing her journey in 189 days. Still, Brauer sets a new record as the fastest solo female nonstop circumnavigator. She is also the first woman to do it as part of a competition.
Brauer hopes to inspire other girls to never give up on their endeavors. “It would be amazing if just one other girl saw me and said: ‘Oh, I can do that, too,'” she added.
She also believes this is just the beginning. She hopes to compete in future around-the-world sailing competitions, particularly the Vendee Globe, in 2028. The world is looking forward to seeing her achieve another milestone.
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