A sailor from Boothbay has become the first American woman to complete a solo race around the world.
Cole Brauer, 29, arrived Thursday in Coruna, Spain, completing her four months alone at sea, according to CBS News.
Brauer was among 10 sailors in the Global Solo Challenge, a grueling race that involves navigating the globe’s three capes: Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, Australia’s Cape Leeuwin and South America’s Cape Horn.
After about two months at sea, Brauer’s boat was hit by a massive wave, slamming her into the vessel’s walls and leaving her with bruised ribs, CBS News reported.
Brauer, who now lives in Newport, Rhode Island, began her sailing career in 2013, and has established herself a formidable opponent on open water. She took high honors last year during the Bermuda One-Two Yacht Race, according to the Lincoln County News.
“From the outside, as a kid I viewed sailing as a gentlemen’s sport — a rich person’s sport,” she told the Lincoln County News last year. “But when I moved to Hawaii, I saw a different type of sailing that was a grassroots, rag-tag bunch of people drawn to the waves, wind and seafaring lifestyle.
