Cole Brauer

Cole Brauer is a 29-year old sailor from Long Island, NY who started sailing when she was in college and dreamed of sailing around the world.  This night, March 6 (in Eastern Standard Time zone), she is just about to finish the Global Solo Challenge race, starting in A Coruna, Spain, east around the world, around all three capes, solo, nonstop, without assistance or resupply, returning to where the race started at A Coruna.  

Cole is finishing in 2nd place of the 16 competitors who started the race with her 4 months ago, and 9 of them have been forced to withdraw from the race.  She is the first American woman to compete in this race and, obviously, the first to finish it.  Her voyage is sponsored by the Day brothers, with whom we have a local connection in southwest Michigan.

Tracking predicted that Cole would finish before daybreak around 6:00-6:30am local time in Spain.  She notified the organizers that in honor and gratitude to her sailboat First Light carrying her safely around the world, she is intentionally slowing down to cross the finish line with First Light at just about dawn!  

This is inspirational stuff - an amazing accomplishment marked by determination, skill, perseverance, and courage.  Cole is very articulate that she hopes others, especially young girls, see what she has accomplished and realize that they can achieve whatever they dream, too.  Evidently, Cole's next goal is to participate in the Vendee Globe in 2028.

See this Facebook page on Global Solo Challenge to learn more about Cole's and the other competitors' adventures and misadventures through this race.