In addition to her historic sailing performance, the 29-year-old has also achieved something that could prove even more valuable for her future professional career: building up a fan base of 500,000 followers on the social media channel Instagram. And the trend continues to rise sharply. Her shared videos, in which she reports on everyday life on board in a cool and likeable way, have also reached masses of young people for whom sailing was previously nothing more than an elitist fringe sport. At the start of the race, Brauer was just as unknown as the first edition of the Global Solo Challenge.
Her recipe for success is as simple as it is ingenious: instead of constantly playing the tough-as-nails heroine in offshore professional gear, she sometimes appears with a comforting plush teddy bear, getting a manicure or dancing to rock music. It may look less professional and nautical, but it works. Brauer celebrates sailing, and everyone joins in. Thanks to Starlink satellite internet, this is possible at any time from any ocean. So it's no surprise that the young American is sharing her finish in a live stream. One hand for the smartphone, the other for the boat.
Brauer is America's new sailing heroine
Philippe Delamare, who finished the race in first place a week earlier, sits in a rib to receive his most persistent pursuer on the water: "I had lost my Starlink after four weeks just before the Cape of Good Hope. That was a blessing for me, because it meant I gained an hour and a half of sleep every day. But I'm also twice as old as Cole," smiles the Frenchman. "She's the future, I'm the past!"
Brauer almost forgets to light her hand flares on the last few metres. While the Class 40 heels to starboard, she stands high up on the port side in the traditional hero's pose. Only now do you realise how small and petite the New Yorker is. "Yeah, you did it!" shouts a giant with a broad American accent across the water. Her project manager has travelled with a 15-strong entourage, including the media manager and specially hired photographers. In addition to a Rib, a large Grand Banks was even chartered to welcome Brauer in style. The US team took over the organisation of the arrival, leaving nothing to chance. Spectators waiting ashore are informed in advance via Instagram of the areas they should be in. America's new sailing heroine should not only be marketed in the best possible way, but also protected.
Even if the feared stampede doesn't materialise, Cole Brauer never gives the impression that she ever needed protection. Full of vigour, she hops off the boat to greet her parents first and foremost. Before you know it, Brauer has swapped her oilskins for white trainers, jeans and a smart jacket. Apart from her somewhat damaged white painted fingernails, there is nothing to suggest that this petite woman has just returned from a solo ride around the world. Only when it comes to the wild champagne battle is the offshore jacket quickly thrown on again.
Cole Brauer was rejected in the Ocean Race
Review: On 29 October 2023, Cole Brauer departs from A Coruña with her Class 40 "First Light". Her 15 fellow competitors are all older and male. The ambitious American is competing with the largest team and the biggest budget. Taking part is not everything, the aim is to sail to victory. Brauer is putting all her eggs in one basket to realise her dream of a professional sailing career. The year before, she had already taken part in the Ocean Race trials on a Volvo 65, but was deemed too small to compete on the oceans due to her height of 1.55 metres. A tough and tearful knockdown for Brauer. Dee Caffari, her coach at the time, recalls: "Cole already had a considerable skillset at the time, but suffered from a lack of self-confidence in that particular environment."
In the summer of 2023, Brauer decides to take part in the Global Solo Challenge at short notice and wins Dee Caffari as her mentor. If not in a team, then solo around the world. After her start with 10,000 interested followers, an explosive momentum developed on Instagram. Her emotional reports about the ups and downs moved and inspired the masses. Even the New York Times wrote a remarkable article about the tough sailor who is shaking the foundations of the established offshore sailing scene.
When the Welshman Dafydd Hughes, who had been leading the race until then, gave up on 5 December and headed for Tasmania, Delamare and Brauer took first and second place, which they defended until the finish. Nine of the 16 boats that started dropped out of the race in some highly dramatic circumstances. Brauer, however, sailed to second place. Her next goal: the Vendée Globe 2028.
