Sailing around the world, breaking records
Traveling 30,000 miles across the world seems like an impossible obstacle, especially when doing it alone for 130 days. However, 29-year-old Cole Brauer accepted that challenge and became the first American woman to race nonstop around the world by herself.
Upon entering the event in which she was the only woman and youngest competitor, Brauer had experience sailing Hawaii when she moved there for college. Brauer soon realized that sailing was her dream and she began preparing to compete on her 40-foot racing boat First Light. Starting on Oct. 29, participants are faced with the task of navigating and making their way around Africa, Australia, and South America.
Beginning in A Coruña, Spain, Brauer competed against 16 participants from 10 different countries. Of those, nearly half have dropped out of the race due to a variety of problems, including dysfunctioning of boats and threats to their health. When sailing alone, one is tasked with more than just sailing, and they must be able to ensure their safety and properly travel across multiple seas. As a solo sailor, Brauer had to take on each and every job. She steered the boat, analyzed weather patterns, fixed equipment and took care of both her physical and mental health. At one point, she even had to insert her own IV due to dehydration while at sea. Additionally, she encountered intimidating waves where she was thrown across her rib and became seriously injured about halfway through the race. Through the demanding journey, Brauer, a New York native, arrived back to A Coruña on March 7.
Although Brauer was alone on her boat, she grew a large following on social media, and updated those on land about the pros and cons of her day. She kept in constant communication with her team, many of whom are based in New England. Starlink satellites allowed Brauer to watch Netflix for entertainment and speak to her family through video calls.
There have only been a few solo racers who were American, all of which were men. Brauer broke this streak and is one of less than 200 people to solo nonstop circumnavigation the world.
