American Sailor Rounds Cape Horn

American solo sailor Cole Brauer, aboard her Class 40 sailboat First Light, has rounded Cape Horn and is back in the Atlantic Ocean, chasing race leader Phiippe Delamare toward the finish in A Coruña, Spain.

Brauer, who sailed for many years out of Boothbay, and who now calls Newport, Rhode Island, home, is one of five Americans and 20 skippers participating in the Global Solo Challenge round-the-world singlehanded race. Cape Horn is the third and final great cape that Brauer had to round. She passed the Cape of Good Hope and Australia’s Cape Leeuwin earlier in the contest.

According to the race’s online leaderboard, Bauer is estimated to arrive at the finish line March 1. She started racing on October 29, 2023.

Bauer, 29, began sailing summers in Boothbay at age 6. Her parents eventually moved there year round, and she worked at Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club as a sailing instructor while living at home.

“Sharing her experience live on Instagram, she conveyed tears, joy, and relief as she reached east under fractional code zero and a reefed mainsail. Too far to see the Cape, Cole chose an offshore route to avoid the risks associated with heavy seas in shallower waters,” race organizers reported on January 29.

You can follow Brauer’s adventures on Instagram at @colebraueroceanracing.