Cole Brauer: Always going forward
Published on May 21st, 2024
Cole Brauer continues to entertain audiences with her story of becoming the first American woman to race solo, nonstop, and unassisted around the world, recently earning this introduction by Charlie Enright, winning skipper of The Ocean Race 2022-23 and 2023 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year:
“We worked tirelessly for 10 years to win Ocean Race and became the most recognizable offshore sailors in the town of Newport, but unfortunately for us, it only lasted 6 months. There’s a new sheriff in town, and deservedly so.”
“What Cole Brauer did in the last year is nothing short of amazing. She circumnavigated the globe alone, non-stop, on her Class40, First Light in the Global Solo Ocean Challenge, and she brought the whole world along with her for the ride. Her following grew from local to national to international, touching sailors and non-sailors alike. She has more followers than the America’s Cup and the entirety of The Ocean Race among others.
“She’s tenacious, determined, inspirational, and most of all, authentic. On top of all that, she’s a great sailor. The longest I’ve ever spent at sea was 38 days, and I did that with friends. On her 130-day voyage, she tripled me up, and she did it by herself.” – Full report
Race details – Entry list – Start times – Tracking
The inaugural Global Solo Challenge 2023-24 sought to be a budget-friendly solo, non-stop race around the world. Using a pursuit format for the 2023-24 race, 20 entrants from 34 to 70 feet had start times between August 26 to January 6 from A Coruña, Spain, with the first boat to return deemed the winner.