SHE DID IT! Singlehanding Phenom Cole Brauer Finished Global Solo Challenge
Update Thursday a.m.: At about 11:23 p.m. PST/8:23 a.m. CET, Cole Brauer crossed the finish line in A Coruña, Spain, as the second-place finisher in the Global Solo Challenge and the first American woman to complete a solo-circumnavigation race, setting a record for the fastest solo circumnavigation aboard a Class 40 sailboat. It was a picture-perfect finish as her Class 40 First Light crossed the finish line off the breakwater after 130 days at sea as the pink skies of the sunrise were bringing the first light of the day. With over 10,000 of her now 450,000 Instagram followers crossing the finish line with her “live” broadcast and an appearance on this morning’s Today show, Cole has sailed into a new life ashore and will surely be bringing thousands of admiring women and fans everywhere along with her spectacular accomplishment. She’s done an amazing job at sailing around the world solo and at connecting and inspiring many more to see and understand sailing. Cole’s 30th birthday is just a couple of months away! Happy birthday, Cole.
Her accomplishment is reminiscent of Ellen MacArthur’s record-breaking solo circumnavigation in 2005 when, at age 28, she became the fastest solo circumnavigator in the world, breaking the record with a 71-day sail around on her carbon fiber trimaran B&Q.
5:30 p.m. PST Update: Cole Brauer has just informed the organizers she will deliberately slow down to arrive, as her boat First Light would have wanted it, at first light: March 7, 7 to 7:30 a.m. A Coruña time (CET) and 1 to 1:30 a.m. EST (New York); March 6, 10 to 10:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles).
FLASH: With 66 miles to go at 2:30 p.m. PST and traveling at 11.7 knots, Cole will likely finish on Wednesday, California time, and very early Thursday morning in Spain.
Cole Brauer will turn 30 on May 24. She learned to sail at the University of Hawaii and has been racing solo around the world since October 28. Her rock-solid performance aboard her Class 40 First Light sees her racing toward a second-place finish in the Global Solo Challenge with less than 130 miles to to go. Watched by her dramatically expanded cadre of social media followers — over 400,000 on Instagram — and with her story being covered in the New York Times and other major media, she has amassed an immense fan base as she approaches the finish in A Coruña, Spain.
Brauer’s sailing and social posting have both been remarkably consistent and have inspired many to follow her closely below the great capes, across the Southern Ocean, and north through the Atlantic. She is looking to become the first American woman to complete a singlehanded, nonstop race around the world and is sitting in a very solid second place. At 5 feet 1 inch and 100 pounds, she’s demonstrated that physical size and power are not a requirement for success. The Class 40 is very popular in Europe as a high-performance shorthanded offshore race boat, with some growing popularity in the States. Local boats such as California Condor, Glass Slipper and Move are all about the scale and power that Cole Brauer has deftly maneuvered around the world while she also entertains everyone with the trials and tribulations she’s faced along the way. Perhaps no other singlehanded race has managed to be as closely experienced by such a large audience.
While there have been many brutal storms and difficult moments during the race, her ever-sunny disposition, skill and determination have come through in almost every post. Clearly the advent of Starlink has changed forever how participants and viewers understand offshore yacht racing. We’ll have to admit being “generationally challenged” by some of how it’s portrayed, and worry about details like what appears to be infrequent use of a harness, but at the same time, we remain in awe of her accomplishment and thrilled to see so many discovering the adventure of sailing through her eyes.
View this post on Instagram
We’ve all been on board with her, and we join fans everywhere as we look forward to her successful finish in A Coruña as she’s currently reaching along at about 10 knots, reeling in the last hours of her 26,000-mile solo circumnavigation. She should be finishing in the early morning, nine hours ahead of us in California. You can follow her on the tracker here.
You can support Latitude 38’s commitment to West Coast sailors and sailing news when you click here.