(TheProudRepublic.com) – Making history in the sailing landscape and worldwide, a 29-year-old woman achieved an extraordinary feat as she became the first U.S. woman to complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe.
Long Island Cole Brauer’s journey lasted over 130 days as part of the Global Solo Challenge, where she competed in a formidable 26,000 nautical miles race that started in October off the coast of A Coruña, Spain.
In an emotional reunion with her family, Brauer expressed disbelief at the enormity of her accomplishment. Her moving words captured the essence of her achievement while she was on a live video on Instagram.
As she approached the finish line, she exclaimed, “I can’t believe it, guys. I sailed around the world. That’s crazy. That’s absolutely crazy. This is awesome. Let’s just do it again. Let’s keep going!”
Brauer was the lone woman among 19 sailors who embarked on this arduous journey. As stated in her sailing profile, her primary goal was to break gender barriers in the male-dominated realm of solo sailing.
“This goal has always been to be the First American Woman to Race Around the World,” she stated, aiming to reshape the traditional norms of the sailing community.
Brauer documented her dangerous trip aboard the “First Light,” a 40-foot monohull sailboat that typically holds a one or two-person crew.
The race path took her from the western coast of Africa to the Southern Ocean, where she overtook second place in the challenge. Amid serene mornings and onboard workout sessions, Brauer shared the adversities she faced, which included a rib injury during rough waters near Africa in December.
Despite the injury, Brauer emphasized in an interview with “Today” that the lack of options in such circumstances is a problem.
“There’s no option at that point. You’re so far away from land that there’s no one who can rescue you or come and grab you. You kind of just need to keep moving along and keep doing everything,” she stated.
As she approached the finish line, Brauer timed her arrival to coincide with the “first light” of the morning and paid homage to her boat’s namesake.
Reflecting on her accomplishment, Brauer aspires to inspire others, especially women, to defy expectations. “I push so much harder when someone is like, ‘you can’t do that.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, watch me,’” she affirmed.
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