This Is The Coolest Sailboat Race In The World That You’ve Probably Never Heard Of Until Now

You’ve probably never heard of The Global Solo Challenge that began when dozens of solo sailors departed A Coruña, Spain on budget-friendly, environmentally conscious boats last August. So, you probably had no clue that Frenchman Philippe Delamare just “won” the race to be the first competitor to complete a solo-non-stop-circumnavigation of the world by the three great capes after spending an incredible 147 days at sea. And you probably had no idea that he finished the race as a winter storm battered the Spanish coast where the fleet started from back in August either.

But now you do. The truth is, the Global Solo Challenge is way more than “just” another long-distance sailboat race. And the 19-year-old American woman Cole Brauer (who’s currently in second place) is way more than just another sailboat racer. In fact, she has less than 2,000 miles to go. And every mile she sails brings her closer to becoming the first American female in history to complete a solo, nonstop, circumnavigation by the three great capes. And if all goes well, she’ll enter an elite club of less than 200 sailors who have accomplished the same feat.

And if you happen to be looking for a pure-feel-good-escape-story to provide a welcome distraction from your normal social media doom-scrolling, I highly recommend following her progress @colebraueroceanracing as she sails the final 1,500 miles north to the finish line.

Here’s just a sample of the pure humanity from her Instagram feed. “Starting to cool down as I get further north! Seaweed has died down. Wind has picked up. Seastate is going further to the beam so slightly less slammy! Things are looking up! These 10 days to the finish are going to be incredibly tough but trying to appreciate every single day I have left!”

Her valentines day post speaks for itself. “This Valentines Day I am dedicating it to all the dream chasing, scream singing, grab life by the throat bada$$ women who never fit into the cookie cutter type of flowers and a box of chocolates. Cheers to all of you🧡”

And here, Cole draws the attention of her 419,000 instagram followers to an organization that means a lot to her. “Thank you so much for the people who have already donated into @safesailorg. I can’t thank you enough 🙏 One of my passions is shaping a positive and inclusive culture in the Sport of Sailing. Let’s work together to make our sailing community a safe and respectful space for everyone.”

But her story is just one of many from this wonderfully approachable event that reminds me that the world is bigger, and more exciting, and more inspiring than we often see on the mainstream media in an election year!

American Ronnie Simpson had rounded cape Horn and was ¾’s the way around the world when he suffered a dismasting in the notoriously dangerous southern ocean. And while he was heartbroken to retire from the race—and be rescued from his damaged boat—he also is a wonderful example of grit, determination, and human endurance that this wonderfully adventurous event brings out of competitors and inspires in fans.

“I was trying to slow the boat down, but given our reachy angle she wanted to go hull speed (9 knots) even under storm sails. Down below on my bunk, I anxiously stared at an instrument display and watched our numbers and navigation – popping up frequently to make trim and course adjustments – when we launched off of a wave. Sailing over a crossed-up triangular launch ramp in 30 gusting 40 knot winds, Shipyard Brewing launched hard off a wave. I felt it down below and grabbed the sides of my bunk to brace for the upcoming impact. Bang. Shipyard Brewing slammed down and a split-second later I heard some bad noises on deck and the boat began to flatten out. Something had clearly let go”

He’s been dismasted and that ended the race for him. But I’m pretty sure this in not the end of his solo racing career. “Starting with an old, funky boat and no money, I managed to get to the starting line and become a viable American contender in a solo around the world race,” he said in his final blog post. “I fought for the win for the first half and fought for a podium the second half, before dismasting more than 3/4 of the way around the world and after the three Capes. I had a road map back to Europe and was looking at 3rd, or at worst, 4th place out of 16 starters and some 60 original entries.”

Go, Global Solo Challenge, Go!