SPORTS
Cole Brauer Becomes First US Woman To Sail Solo Around The World Non-Stop
colebraueroceanracing/Instagram
Cole Brauer, 29, became the first U.S. woman to sail solo non-stop around the world on Thursday, placing second in the Global Solo Challenge.
The New York native arrived in A Coruña, Spain, on Thursday after a 130-day, journey past the three great capes: Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin, and South America’s Cape Horn. Brauer traveled a treacherous 27,711 nautical miles on board First Light, a 40-foot monohull sailboat, and documented her journey on Instagram.
Brauer shared the ups and downs of her journey, from her on-board workouts to an injury she sustained in December. Brauer was thrown across her boat due to broaching, when the boat inadvertently changes direction, in rough seas near Africa, and injured a rib.
She was even prepared for holidays spent alone at sea, with pumpkin decorations for Halloween, a small Christmas tree, and a bottle of bubbly for New Year’s.
Toward the end of her circumnavigation, Brauer said her boat was deteriorating. During the final week, she shared that horrendous conditions were causing serious problems on board.
On top of all the slamming, there is a lot of water inside the boat, I have now started to use the electric pump to pump out water every 6-10hours, she wrote on Instagram. She described making raincoats out of Ziplock bags to protect the autopilot and the rudder bearing, but it’s not enough.
I at least know the issues and what are the worse case scenarios and I am monitoring this and making sure that I keep these areas as dry as I can, she wrote.
But it all worked out in the end, as she informed organizers of the Global Solo Challenge that she was deliberately slowing down ahead of her arrival, to pull in to the finish line at first light on First Light.
“Amazing finish!!!! So stoked! Thank you to everyone that came together and made this process possible,” she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her waving to flares to mark the end of her journey.
French sailor Philippe Delamare won the Global Solo Challenge on Feb. 24. He started the race about a month before Brauer, and completed his circumnavigation in 147 days and one hour.
TMX contributed to this article.
