iStockphoto / mihtiander
American Cole Brauer just completed a 30,000 mile journey around the world and upon her return to Spain, she became the first woman in history to nonstop solo circumnavigate the globe as part of the Global Solo Challenge.
Cole Brauer’s epic journey began in earnest years ago, but things got real when she left the Newport Shipyard onboard her Class40 yacht named ‘First Light’ and headed to Spain where she would embark on her journey to become the first woman in history to nonstop sail around the world.
Her trip began in October 2023 when she left A Coruña, Spain. From there, Brauer sailed straight south past Portugal and down the West Coast of Africa. Once she reached the tip of South Africa she headed due east to Australia.
From Australia, Cole Brauer headed for South America and went around Cape Horn and then headed back north up the east coast of South America and she completed her journey on March 7th after 130 days asea when she pulled back into port at A Coruña, Spain, a journey that spanned 30,000 miles across the entire globe.
Windcheck Magazine previously ran a feature on Cole in July of last year and prior to her journey. She told the magazine how she grew up in a town called Springs which is a hamlet of East Hampton on Long Island. Sailing has always been a part of her life.
Brauer says her first boat was a kayak she used to paddle to middle school every day (weather permitting) and paints a picture very different from the East Hampton many of us have known over the years. After high school, Cole Brauer went to the University of Hawaii where she joined the school’s sailing team all while earning her degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition with a focus in Medicine.
I found the latter tidbit interesting because she has a background in nutrition but still managed to overpack. She had enough supplies for 167 days at sea but managed to complete her nonstop solo journey in just 130 days.
For this feat, Cole was competing in the Global Solo Challenge with 15 other solo sailors from 10 countries around the world. She finished 2nd overall. Only 46-year-old Philippe Delamare of France circumnavigated the globe faster than her but if the name gave him away, he’s a man, and 5’2″ Cole Brauer not only finished 2nd overall in the competition but she became the first woman in history to accomplish the feat.
Throughout the journey, Cole would do interviews with various media outlets from the middle of the ocean during her rest time:
Cole also set up an incredible tracker on her website where fans watched every update as she sailed 30,000 miles around the globe. Also on her website were links to donate to Cole and help fund her journey.
As her Class40 sailboat named ‘First Light’ pulled into A Coruña, Spain on March 7th, Cole Brauer live streamed the final minutes of her epic journey and later shared a video of the moment on Instagram for the world to see:
Her Instagram feed throughout the journey was wild. Cole shared clips of conditions at their worst. She recently showed a clip of 36knot wind and how miserable it was.
At 20,000 miles, she celebrated passing Cape Horn, a milestone in every sailor’s life:
It is hard to fathom what comes next for her. Where does an adventurer go after becoming the first woman to nonstop circumnavigate the globe by themselves?
Well, merely asking that question reveals the fundamental difference between people like me and her. She had the imagination and drive to go out and complete a never-before-done challenge. While I’m sitting her wondering what could possibly come next she probably has a thousand ideas for her next record-setting feat. Truly, an inspiring story.