Solo sailor Cole Brauer has become the first American woman to race solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, finishing the Global Solo Challenge March 7, at 8:23am CET after 130 days at sea.
She finished in second place, setting a new Class40 around-the-world speed record and amassing 450,000 followers on Instagram in the process. At just 29 years old, Brauer was both the youngest skipper and the only female sailor in the fleet of 16 boats.
Brauer, 29, arrived Thursday in A Coruna, Spain, after departing from the city on Oct. 29. She took part in the Global Solo Challenge, along with more than a dozen other sailors, several of whom didn’t complete the competition. Brauer sailed around the globe on the First Light, a 2008 OCD Class40, and traveled about 30,000 miles.
“It hasn’t really hit me yet. Everyone’s so excited, but for me it hasn’t really sunk in that I now hold these records,” says Brauer. ”It just feels like I went for a little sail, and now I’m back.”
The Boothbay, Maine woman said her purpose in pursuing the challenge was to show how the male-dominated sport can “become more open and less ‘traditional.’”
Brauer was introduced to sailing after moving to Hawaii for college. She said she didn’t have opportunities to sail as a child, but growing up on a nature reserve cemented her love of nature. She joined Hawaii’s sailing community, who she said took her under their wings.
The goal of solo-racing around the world became Brauer’s dream after a 2018 dinner with her mentor Tim Fetsch, who later sent her solo sailor Ellen MacArthur’s book. She said on Instagram that she wanted to accomplish the feat of being the first American woman to race solo around the world before turning 30. She is also preparing for the 2028 Vendée Globe.
“The race was for me,” she said. “It was this amazing experience that I got to have, so I feel like the celebration at the finish is almost for everyone else who was involved with this. I already had the amazing experience, I already had the experience I went out there looking for. So this celebration at the end is for the team and the supporters.”
While Brauer is the first American woman to race around the globe alone by sea, she is not the first woman to sail around the world. Polish sailor Krystina Chojnowska-Liskiewicz sailed single-handed around the world in 1978 during a 401-day voyage, The Associated Press reported. Kay Cottee of Australia was the first woman to complete the venture nonstop in 1987.
Brauer said to the media that being away from loved ones for 130 days was the most difficult part of the journey.
Brauer left A Coruña, Spain, on October 29 with six other skippers. She led the group to the Equator and began picking off the competitors from previous starts. As she turned east and headed for Cape Horn, she began having autopilot issues, one of which led to a broach that tossed her across the boat and injured her ribs. There was concern that she would have to pull into port, but despite the injury, she was able to make the necessary repairs and continue sailing.
In the South Pacific, Brauer also began having trouble with her hydrogenerator, which supplies much of her power onboard, keeping her steering instruments, autopilot, watermaker, and Starlink going. Even with a back up system and regular maintenance, her power rationing lasted through the end of the race.
While her expert seamanship and technical know-how made her one of the top competitors of the race, another hallmark of Brauer’s campaign was her social media presence, which inspired the admiration of hundreds of thousands of followers. Brauer used Instagram to keep followers updated on her journey, providing glimpses of what life at sea looks like when you’re a one-woman show. Between exhilarating shots of ocean waves and painstakingly chartering her journey, Brauer showed peeks into how she spent her downtime, such as watching Formula One and working out.
Her honest, chipper updates brought followers along for the ups and downs of four months on the seas. She received hundreds of comments from people saying that although they’d never sailed before, they were so amazed by her bravery, tenacity, and positive outlook.
“This whole experience has been really awesome, and thank you guys so much for participating,” she said in an Instagram video to the nearly 500,000 people who followed her journey on the social media platform.
“This monumental milestone is not just a physical triumph, but a testament to her courage in facing challenges head-on,” says Project Manager Brendon Scanlon, about her rounding of Cape Horn, and turning northwards towards the finish. “As she sails the rough seas and navigates life’s complexities onboard, we celebrate the indomitable spirit that defines her remarkable journey.”
After completing the Global Solo Challenge, Brauer hopes to campaign for the 2028 Vendée Globe—the highest level of solo circumnavigational races. Her updates can be best followed at colebraueroceanracing on Instagram.
