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The Ocean Race 2022-23: What is the route? Which teams are involved? What are the boats? How to watch, stream

Updated 05/01/2023 at 17:42 GMT

The Ocean Race 2022-23 is set to start in January as teams sail across the world over a six-month period bidding to finish in the fastest time. Formerly known as the Volvo Ocean Race, it will start in Alicante, Spain and will go to South Africa, South America and then back to Europe. We look at everything you need to know, including the route, how to watch, and the teams involved.

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What’s the route for The Ocean Race?

• Leg 1: Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde, leg start on January 15, 1,900 nautical miles
• Leg 2: Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa leg start on January 25, 4,600 nautical miles
• Leg 3: Cape Town to Itajai, Brazil, leg start on February 26, 12,750 nautical miles
• Leg 4: Itajai to Newport, Rhode Island, leg start on April 23, 5,500 nautical miles
• Leg 5: Newport to Aarhus, Denmark, leg start on May 21, 3,500 nautical miles
• Leg 6: Aarhus to The Hague, Netherlands, leg start on June 8, 800 nautical miles
• Leg 7: The Hague to Genova, Italy, leg start on June 15, 2,200 nautical miles

How to watch and stream the Ocean Race

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What are the boats at the Ocean Race 2022-23?

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Practical Boat Owner

• Digital edition

Ocean Globe Race 2023: everything you need to know

• Katy Stickland
• August 23, 2023

The Ocean Globe Race will see 14 boats and their crews circumnavigating the world without the use of modern equipment, in the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread Race

All 14 teams taking part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race will be racing with similar gear and boats as those who raced in the Whitbread Races of old. Credit: Philip McDonald Credit: Philip McDonald

What is unique about the Ocean Globe Race?

The Ocean Globe Race is a round-the-world yacht race, held to mark the 50th anniversary of the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973.

The Whitbread Round the World was the forerunner of The Volvo Ocean Race and The Ocean Race.

The first edition in 1973 started from Portsmouth and was the first fully crewed round the world yacht race.

Ramón Carlin, who skippered the Swan 65, Sayula II to victory in the first Whitbread Round the World Race in 1973-74. Credit: Getty

It followed the route of the great Clipper ships.

18 yachts – between 45ft-74ft- crossed the start line.

The 1973 Whitbread Race was won by the standard production Swan 65 yacht, Sayula II , skippered by Mexican Ramón Carlin. The yacht was crewed by family and friends, not professional sailors; this helped make yacht racing not just for the elite, but for the ordinary sailor.

What is the Ocean Globe Race?

The 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race is a 27,000-mile round the world yacht race with no assistance and without the use of modern technology.

This means the teams can’t use GPS , chartplotters , electric winches , spinnaker socks, Code 0 furling, electric autopilots, mobile phones,  computers, iPads or use synthetic materials like Spectra, Kevlar or Vectron.

Navigation will be done by sextant , paper charts and the stars.

Their only means of communication is via registered, licensed maritime-approved HF Single Side Band (SSB) Radio . HAM Radio transmission is banned.

Navigation is by sextant only. Here, the skipper of Outlaw, and the oldest entrant in the race, Campbell Mackie, 73,  and Outlaw’s crew, British sailor, India Syms take sights. Credit: OGR 2023/Outlaw/Spirit of Adelaide

Weather forecasts will be received via the radio or stand-alone paper print HF Radio weather fax.

Each boat can only carry no more than 11 sails (sloop) or 13 sails (ketch). Teams will be subject to a time penalty if they have to use replacement sails.

Approved items include desalinators, refrigeration, non-GPS digital cameras, electric clocks and headsail furling .

Teams will be penalised for using replacement sails during the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race. Credit: Translated 9

The teams will also carry emergency gear, including a GPS chartplotter/AIS MOB plotting and locating system with a sealed screen for emergency use only by authorized crew, AIS Transponder and Alarm, Radar transponder and Alarm, Two SOLAS liferafts (200% crew capacity).

Every week, the team needs to run the boat’s engine for 30 minutes, with the prop turning.

Each boat should also carry standard operating procedures documents for man overboard (MOB), fire, dismasting, steering loss , grounding , serious injury, jury rig and other emergencies. Each team will have already carried out an MOB jury rig and emergency steering trials.

Where does the race start and finish, and what is the route?

The Ocean Globe Race 2023 will start at 1300 on 10 September 2023 from the Royal Yacht Squadron start line at Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The route of the 2023-24 Ocean Globe Race. Credit: OGR 23

It will have four legs.

The first leg – 6,650 miles – is from Southampton to Cape Town . The first boats are expected to finish between 9-21 October 2023.

The second leg – 6,650 miles – is from Cape Town to Auckland, New Zealand . It starts on 5 November 2023. The first boats are expected to finish between 14-23 December 2023

The third leg – 8,370 miles – is from Auckland, New Zealand to Punta del Este, Uruguay . It starts on 14 January 2024. The first boats are expected to finish between 9-18 February 2024.

The fourth leg – 5,430 miles – is from Punta del Este, Uruguay to Southampton . The first boats to cross the finish line are expected 1-10 April 2024.

Each team must reach port no later than 48 hours after the restart of the next leg or will be disqualified. A minimum stop of three days is mandatory, but the clock starts with the gun.

Which teams are taking part in the Ocean Globe Race?

218 sailors – 65 women and 153 men – will sail from Southampton. The teams are made of 23 nationalities including 96 crew from France, 31 from Finland, 18 from the UK, 18 from the USA, 11 from Italy and 6 from South Africa.

Tracy Edwards’s Maiden is the only all-female crew taking part. This was the case in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race.

Just in 1989-90, Maiden will be the only yacht racing with an all female crew. Credit: The Maiden Factor/OGR 2023

The captain, chief mate or one designated Ocean Yachtmaster must sail the entire race.

All entrants – who have to undergo a medical examination and have completed an approved medical/survival training course – must have onboard for each leg:

• 1 Ocean Yachtmaster
• 1 Yachtmaster
• 1 under 24 year old
• Maximum 70% crew swap at any stopover
• Maximum 33% professional crew ( 24-70 year old, paid to go sailing)

70% of the crew (including the Yachtmaster Ocean and Yachtmaster) registered for the start leg must complete a 1,500-mile non-stop ocean voyage all together in the entered yacht, after March 2023

The Ocean Globe Race has three classes:

• Adventure Class (47ft-56ft) is limited to 12 places, with a minimum crew of seven;
• Sayula Class (56.1ft-66ft) is limited to eight places, with a minimum crew of eight;
• Flyer Class is limited to eight places for yachts previously entered in the 1973, 1977 or 1981 Whitbread, or ‘relevant’ historic significance and ‘approved’ production-built, ocean-certified, sail-training yachts generally 55ft to 68ft LOA.

Adventure Class

There are 5 teams in this class.

Triana – France

The core of the Triana crew. Credit: Projet Triana/OGR2023

Led by Franch media entrepreneur, Jean d’Arthuys, the crew of Triana includes professional French sailor, Sébastien Audigane, who has sailed six roundings of Cape Horn and is a double holder of the Jules Verne Trophy – in 2017 on IDEC with Francis Joyon, and 2005 on Orange 2 with Bruno Peyron.

Audigane is the First Mate onboard  Triana, a 1987-built Swan 53, designed by German Friers.

Sterna – South Africa

The crew of Sterna have completed several Atlantic crossings on the Swan 53; the team are pictured in Martinique, ahead of their second transatlantic crossing. Credit: Allspice Yachting

Allspice Yachting entered the Ocean Globe Race in December 2019 after founder Gerrit Louw was inspired by the 2018 Golden Globe Race.

The Swan 53, Sterna of Allspice Yachting will be skippered by professional South African sailor, Rufus Brand, who hopes the race will allow him to fulfil his dream of circumnavigating the world.

The First Mate and navigator is South African Melissa Du Toit.

Sterna of Allspice Yachting is a modified Swan 53, built in 1988. Some of the yacht’s unique features include a custom keel with an improved righting movement, a 135hp engine (instead of the normal 85hp engine) and expanded water and diesel tanks for offshore sailing .

Allspice Yachting bought the yacht in 2021 for the Ocean Globe Race, and a crew sailed her from Grenada to the boat’s home port of Cape Town to prepare Sterna for the race.

Galiana WithSecure – Finland

The skipper of Galiana WithSecure , Tapio Lehtinen hopes the Ocean Globe Race will result in a new generation of offshore Finnish yacht racers. Credit: Sanoma Media Finland Kaikki oikeudet/Juhani Niiranen/HS

The Swan 55 will be skippered by the 2018 and 2022 Golden Globe Race veteran, Finnish sailor, Tapio Lehtinen. First mate is Ville Norra, who has a history of sailing keelboats and offshore.

The Galiana WithSecure team is one of the youngest taking part in the Ocean Globe Race , with the majority of those on board under 30 years of age; only two members of the team have ‘strong racing DNA’, while the others come from Optimist, Sea Scout or other sailing backgrounds.

Lehtinen is a veteran of the 1981-82 Whitbread Race when at the age of 23, he earned a place as watch captain on Skopbank Finland , a C&C Baltic 51 skippered by Kenneth Gahmberg.

His motivation for entering the Ocean Globe Race with a young team is to encourage young Finnish sailors into ocean sailing; Lehtinen also wants to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on the world’s oceans and has only partnered with companies and organisations which promote solutions to this global problem.

Outlaw – Australia

Some members of the Outlaw crew. Credit: Aïda Valceanu/ OGR2023

The Baltic 55, Outlaw , is a Whitbread Race veteran, having raced in the 1985-86 edition as Equity and Law .

Built in 1984 to Lloyds of London specifications, the Douglas Peterson-designed Outlaw will be skippered by Campbell Mackie.

The Australian sailor has 70,000 ocean miles under his belt, having taken part in the 2015-16 Clipper Round the World Race and the 2017-18 edition, where he was First Mate on Sanya , the winning boat.

First Mate is Dutch professional sailor, Rinze Vallinga.

Godspeed – USA

The crew of Godspeed is made up of American military veterans. Credit: Skeleton Crew

The Swan 51, Godspeed is the only American boat to enter the race.

The skipper is Taylor Grieger, a former US Navy veteran, who has assembled a crew made up of representatives from the US military services.

Grieger suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after years spent as a US Navy rescue swimmer. Along with friend, Stephen O’Shea, he sailed a leaking 1983 Watkins 36CC from Pensacola, Florida, through the Panama Canal and down the South American coast to Cape Horn . The film of their voyage – Hell or High Seas – has been released.

Following this, Grieger set up Skeleton Crew Adventures, to help other veterans to recover from PTSD through sailing.

Sayula Class

There are four entries in this class.

Explorer – Australia

The crew of Explorer, skippered by Mark Sinclair. Credit: Don McIntyre/ OGR2023

Explorer was designed by Olin Stephens and was launched in 1977. The boat is owned by the founder of the Ocean Globe Race, Don McIntyre.

The yacht will be skippered by 2018 and 2022 Golden Globe Race veteran, UK-born Australian Mark Sinclair , who has circumnavigated the world with one stop.

The Yachtmaster Offshore, a former Royal Australian Navy Commander, has over 60,000 sailing miles under his belt.

Explorer ‘s Chief Mate is Terry Kavanagh, a liveboard sailor from Ireland who was circumnavigating the world aboard his yacht when he decided to take part in the race. He also has experience sailing in Arctic Norway.

White Shadow – Spain

Crew training aboard White Shadow in the Mediterranean. Credit: OGR/ White Shadow

The only Spanish entry in the Ocean Globe Race, White Shadow is a Swan 57, built in 1978.

The yacht will be skippered by owner French offshore racer, Jean-Christophe Petit, who has also completed four Atlantic crossings .

The mixed crew  – from France, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Argentina, Belgium and Colombia – are aged from 20 to 57.

Evrika – France

The Swan 65, Evrika . At the time, the Swan 65 was the largest GRP construction yacht , and was one of the designs that led the racing circuit in the 70s-80s. Credit: Sophie Dingwall

Previously owned by Pink Floyd’s Rick Wright, who lived aboard her in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, Evrika also has strong racing credentials, having won the Swan Cup in the 1980s.

The Swan 65 was built in 1982 with a ketch rig ; the yacht has been extensively restored for the race including a new teak deck, and remodelling down below, including layout changes in the forward cabin. Nearly all changes were in keeping with the yacht’s original style and materials.

Evrika will be skippered by French sailor and boat builder Dominique Dubois.

Originally the team was to race the Swan 651, Futuro , but in February 2023, the boat was blown from its cradle during Storm Gérard; the damage cost more than the value of the boat.

Dubois then bought Evrika from Brit Richard Little, who had entered the Ocean Globe Race, but later withdrew.

Spirit of Helsinki – Finland

The crew of Spirit of Helsinki prepare to leave Finland for the race start in Southampton. Credit: OGR2023 / Team Spirit of Helsinki

Designed by German Frers and built by Nautor in 1984, the Swan 651 sloop, Spirit of Helsinki was built specifically for the Whitbread Round the World Race and was raced to third place in the 1986 edition under the name Fazer Finland .

The all Finnish crew is led by hotel entrepreneur and amateur sailor and racer, Jussi Paavoseppä.

First Mate is professional sea captain Pasi Palmu, who has worked as a full-time racing sailor and sailing coach for over 15 years.

Flyer Class

There are 5 entries in this class.

Maiden – UK

The Maiden crew: Skipper: Heather Thomas (UK), First Mate: Rachel Burgess (UK) Crew: Willow Bland (UK) Lana Coomes (USA), Payal Gupta (India), Ami Hopkins (UK), Vuyisile Jaca (South Africa), Junella King (Antigua), Molly Lapointe (Porto Rico/USA), Kate Legard (UK), Najiba Noori (Afghanistan), Flavia Onore (Italy), Dhanya A Pilo (India). Credit: The Maiden Factor-Kaia Bint Savage

Maiden is the only UK entry in the race.

The Bruce-Farr 58ft yacht will be skippered by British sailor, Heather Thomas, 26 and her crew will be all female – just as in the 1989-90 Whitbread Race when the boat was skippered by Tracy Edwards.

Thomas, who was previously a watch leader on the training vessel James Cook, run by the Ocean Youth Trust North, has previously sailed the Pacific leg of the 2015-16 Clipper Round the World Race with the Da Nang Viet Nam team, after winning a place onboard.

The yacht was skippered by Wendy Tuck, who went on to become the first woman to win a round the world yacht race when she led her Sanya Serenity Coast team to victory in the 2017-18 edition of the Clipper Race .

The Maiden team ranges in age from 18 to 42, with the majority of the crew competing in all four legs of the race.

Previously to the Ocean Globe Race, Maide n has been sailing around the world to promote education for girls through The Maiden Factor.

Pen Duick VI – France

Marie Tabarly has sailed Pen Duick VI since she was a child. Credit: James Tomlinsen

Led by the daughter of French sailing legend, Éric Tabarly, the Pen Duick VI team’s goal is not just the race, but to raise awareness of the Elemen’Terre project, which looks at environmental and social global issues.

Marie Tabarly is one of two female skippers in the race (the other is Maiden ‘s skipper, Heather Thomas).

The professional racing sailor, who competed in the 15th Transat Jacques Vabre with Louis Duc aboard the IMOCA 60, Kostum Lantana Paysage , has extensive offshore experience, having sailed Pen Duick VI since childhood. She has also recently completed a circumnavigation of the world with Pen Duick VI .

At 73ft LOA, Pen Duick VI is the largest yacht taking part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race

The 73ft Pen Duick VI was built specifically by Éric Tabarly for the 1973-74 Whitbread Race.

The yacht dismasted twice in the race – during the 1st and 3rd legs, but she was repaired and went on to win the 1974 Bermuda-Plymouth race, the 1976 Atlantic Triangle Race and the 1976 OSTAR.

Renamed Euromarché, the yacht came 5th in the 1981-82 Whitbread Race.

Neptune – France

Designed by André Mauric, Neptune was launched in July 1977, before racing in the 1977-78 Whitbread Race to 8th place.

The 60ft aluminium sloop will be skippered by professional ophthalmologist Tanneguy Raffray, who is one of France’s most successful International 8 metre class racers, aboard Hispania IV , which he restored.

Neptune racing in the 1977 Whitbread Race. Credit: Ocean Frontiers OGR/ GGR/CG580

The refit of Neptune for the Ocean Globe Race was overseen by Finot-Conq naval architect, Erwan Gourdon, who is also part of the crew, and included four watertight bulkheads, furling headsails and a new sail plan.

The team also includes French sailor, Bertrand Delhom, who aims to become the first sailor with Parkinson’s disease to race around the world.

Translated 9 – Italy

The Translated 9 crew has a party in Rome ahead of leaving for the start village in Southampton, UK. Credit: Antonio Masiello

The first edition of the Whitbread Round the World Race was won in 1974 by the family and friends of Mexican Ramón Carlin, who skippered the Swan 65 yacht, Sayula II.

The Translated 9 team is following in their wake; 1,000 amateurs, new to ocean sailing, applied for a position on the 13-strong crew.

The Swan 65 is being skippered by owner Marco Trombetti and professional racer and boat designer Vittorio Malingri , who was the first Italian to race in a Vendée Globe (1993) and was part of Giovanni Soldini’s crew on the TIM trimaran.

British skipper Clare Francis and the crew of ADC Accutrac together in 1977 Whitbread. They’re looking forward to meeting the crew of Translated 9 at the Whitbread Reunion on 5 September. Credit: Dr Nick Milligan

Malingri’s son Nico is First Mate and has also previously sailed with Giovanni Soldini

With Nico, Malingri also holds the Dakar to Guadeloupe 20ft Performance record, having sailed 2,551nm in 11 days, 1 hour, 9 minutes and 30 seconds.

The crew also includes 2022 Golden Globe Race veteran, Simon Curwen, who took line honours in the race and was first in the Chichester Class.

The Sparkman and Stephens’s designed Translated 9 was originally ADC Accutrac , which was raced to 5th place by British skipper, Clare Francis in the 1977 Whitbread Around the World Race.

L’Esprit d’Equipe – France

The L’Esprit d’Équipe team. Credit: Team L’Esprit d’Équipe

The Philippe Briand-designed 58ft yacht was built by Dufour and has strong Whitbread Race roots.

It is the only boat in the Ocean Globe Race to have won at Whitbread Race (in the 1985-86 edition, skippered by Lionel Péan; it was the smallest boat in this edition. Modifications to save weight included shortening the boat’s rear arch, moving the keel further back and installing a 27m mast)

The French team is led by professional boat builder and sailor, Lionel Regnier, a seasoned racer, who won the OSTAR in 2005 and has taken part in three Mini Transats, and numerous Class 40 races, including the 2006 and 2014 Route du Rhum

His First Mate is Pierre-Yves, who has project managed most of Lionel’s races since 2003 and has raced in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

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Which boats will be raced during the Ocean Globe Race?

L’Esprit d’Équipe is the only boat in the Ocean Globe Race to have won at Whitbread Race (in the 1985-86 edition. Credit: RORC / James Mitchell / James Tomlinson

All boats in the Adventure and Sayula classes must be ocean-going GRP production yachts designed before 1988 and from an approved design list which includes the Swan 47, Swan 47, Swan 48, Swan 51, Swan 53, Swan 55, Swan 57, Swan 59, Swan 61, Swan 65, Swan 651, Nicholson 55, Baltic 51, Baltic 55, Baltic 64, Oyster 48 and Grand Soleil 52.

The Baltic 55, Outlaw was previously raced in the 1985-86 Whitbread Race. Credit: Outlaw Team

All yachts must be fitted with a bow crash bulkhead. A main watertight bulkhead and watertight door are recommended immediately forward of the saloon along with a second watertight bulkhead forward of the rudder post.

Severn former Whitbread Race boats will be taking part in the Ocean Globe Race:

• Maiden (previously Disque D’Or 3 , 1981-82 Whitbread; raced as Maiden in 1989-90 Whitbread)
• Pen Duick VI (1973-74 Whitbread; raced as Euromarché in the 1981-82 Whitbread)
• Translated 9 (previously ADC Accutrac , 1977-78 Whitbread)
• Neptune (1977-78 Whitbread)
• L’Esprit d’Equipe (previously 33 Export , 1981-82 Whitbread; L’Esprit d’Equipe , 1985-86 Whitbread; Esprit de Liberté , 1989-90 Whitbread)
• Outlaw (previously Equity and Law , 1985-86 Whitbread)
• Spirit of Helsinki (previously Fazer, Finland , 1985-86 Whitbread)

How can I follow the Ocean Globe Race?

All 14 boats taking part in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race can be seen at the Ocean Village Marina in Southampton from 29 August 2023. Credit: Ocean Frontiers OGR/ GGR/CG580/Pic suppliers

The Ocean Globe Race village at Ocean Village, Southampton will open to the public from 29 August 2023 until the race start. It is free to enter.

Daily events will include celestial navigation demonstrations (2-4, 6 September from 14:00 hrs), as well as a chance to see the 14 boats and meet their crews.

Tours will take place every day from 29 August between 13:o0 hrs and 17:00 hrs and can be booked via Eventbrite in advance or on the day ( https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ocean-globe-race-2023-pontoon-access-tickets-700811284417 ).

Visitors taking a tour will have the option to make a small charitable donation before the tour which will go to support the Blue Marine Foundation, Ocean Youth Trust (South) and The Maiden Factor Foundation.

Tuesday 29 August, 11:00 hrs – Official Ribbon Cutting Friday 1 September, 13:30 hrs – A Welcome from the City of Southampton Friday 1 September, 18:30 hrs – MDL Captain’s Dinner and Charity Auction Saturday, 2 September, 13;00 hrs – Writer and broadcaster, Paul Heiney talks about his tales of sailing the Atlantic single-handed Tuesday 5 September, 17:30 hrs – Whitbread Veterans Reunion Thursday 7 September, 10 hrs – OGR Final Press Conference Friday 8 September, 18:00 hrs – MDL Whitbread 50th Anniversary Farewell Hog Roast Party Saturday 9 September, 14:00 hrs – OGR Teams’ Public Farewell presentation Sunday 10 September, 09:00 hrs – Full Teams parade of honour from MDL Race Village to their yachts 13:00 hrs – RACE START – Royal Yacht Squadron start line, Cowes, UK. Viewing of the start line can be seen from the beaches in Gurnard, Isle of Wight or Lepe Beach in the New Forest.

The race can be followed via the Ocean Globe Race website and Facebook page .

The teams can also be followed via YB Tracking .

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CONTENT FROM THE BOATS

• 11th Hour Racing Team
• GUYOT environnement - Team Europe
• Team Malizia
• Holcim - PRB
• windWhisper Racing Team
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• Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team
• Viva México
• Austrian Ocean Racing powered by Team Genova

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Blue Water Tracks

Yacht race tracking.

Yacht racing and rally organises now have a very cost effective way to provide a public race map. Families, friends and the media can follow along with the action, including replays, boat and crew bio's with hero photos. Through the Blue Water Tracks portal, race and rally organiser have a full management dashboard that enables them to quick setup and easily control every aspect of the tracked progress along with the public map showing leaderboards and race statistics.

Crew Manage crew photos and bio

Graphs Compare boat performance

Leader Boards Display the boats race position

Boat Manage boat details and photos

Trackers Use low cost trackers

Handicaps Unlimited handicaps

Replay Replay the race

Admin Simple administration and full control of the race

Race page Public race page

ADMIN INTERFACE

Public race page.

GETTING STARTED

Purchase your inReach trackers from Amazon . If using the phone app, go to step three

Activate your inReach device with Delorme

Sign up for your race organisers account account here

Add your trackers, crews and boats into your Blue Water Tracks account

Create a race and assign each boat a tracker

Publish the public race page link

Once the the race is set up, Blue Water Tracks will collect the positions and vector data from each tracker and display the boats progress through the live public race page.

List of current races

The Blue Water Tracks service is provided free of charge to yacht racing organisations. The service is funded by the philanthropy of the Dunoon Family Trust to ensure the highest level of infrastructure and service quality. Significant resource has been made available in the development of this service, ensuring that every race organiser has the tools needed for an effortless race tracking experience that enhances safety for all competitors.

Grant Dunoon

Grant Dunoon founded Blue Water Tracks to deliver a service to yacht racing organisation and at the same time make safety affordable for every competitor.

In 2012 Grant was the skipper who rescued 6 crew when their yacht sank suddenly after the loss of their liferaft just before midnight during a devastating storm that wiped out the Melbourne to Port Fairy yacht race. Read more about it here .

Grant has be honoured with the Queen's Group Bravery Award, Australian National Search and Rescue Council Award, Yachting Australia (Australian Sailing) SOLAS Trust Award, Yachting Victoria's President's Awards, Royal Bright Yacht Club's Commodore's Awards. ORCV Ocean Racer of the Year.

Raju Maisnam

Dmytro Hrytsenko

Bhargav Konkathi

Ilya Alekseev

Documentation

Margo Kerdikoshvili

Graphic Designer

TESTIMONIALS

“We have found the service to be very reliable and the management portal simple to use. It has and is saving our club thousands of dollars each year and at the same time delivers an invaluable service to our members."

Simon Dryden

Ocean Racing Club Victoria

Yachting World

• Digital Edition

The Ocean Race 2023 preview: What’s in store for the new race

• Matthew Sheahan
• January 4, 2023

Finally the new crewed lap of the planet, The Ocean Race is set to start this month, with 5 fully-crewed IMOCA 60s on the startline

It’s been a long wait for the next fully crewed lap of the planet since the last one finished in 2018, but finally The Ocean Race will start from Alicante on 15 January. The total fleet is expected to comprise 11 boats in two classes, including the VO65 one-designs from the previous two events and a fleet of five fully crewed IMOCA 60 s.

Compared to the previous race around the world under former sponsors Volvo, there have been several key changes. The course now has fewer stopovers and some significantly longer ocean legs. But the most recent alteration is that not all the boats are going all the way round.

While the IMOCA 60s will complete a full lap of the planet, including seven legs to finish in Genoa, Italy, the VO65s will sail just the first and last two legs in what the organisers have called The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup .

A new trophy will be awarded to the VO65 team which accumulates the best score across three legs of the race; Alicante, Spain, to Cape Verde; Aarhus, Denmark, to The Hague, the Netherlands; and The Hague to the overall finish in Genoa, Italy.

The VO65 and IMOCA 60 fleets will both compete in the in-port races scheduled in those cities, although points scored in the in-port racing will only come into play for the overall trophy in the event of a tie-break.

IMOCA 60s go crewed

The last two years have been particularly difficult for the organisers of The Ocean Race. Finding a title sponsor has proved elusive, while enticing existing IMOCA 60 teams to consider reconfiguring their boats for a fully crewed round the world race has been challenging.

The biggest hurdle has been the global pandemic and the year long postponement that was required. This not only created a huge level of uncertainty for the organisation and teams alike, but the delay presented a potential clash between The Ocean Race and the single-handed French classic, the Route du Rhum , in which 38 IMOCA 60s took part.

Even with the will to do so, competing in both races was always going to be difficult for teams given the short time frame between the Route du Rhum finish in Guadeloupe and the start of The Ocean Race just a few weeks later. Getting the boat back across the Atlantic and correctly configured for a full crew was seen by many as being ambitious at the least.

However, four of the five-boat fleet, including three of the newest IMOCA 60s – Paul Meilhat ’s Biotherm Racing , Boris Herrmann ’s Team Malizia and Kevin Escoffier ’s Holcim PRB – returned relatively unscathed from the solo transat and headed straight to Alicante to be made ready for their circumnavigation.

The fourth was Benjamin Dutreux and Robert Stanjek’s GUYOT Environment-Team Europe , formerly Hugo Boss from the 2016-17 Vendée Globe Race and therefore more proven, which has helped to shuffle the odds in this fleet.

Previously, having been first in the water and having completed far more sea miles than any of the others, Charlie Enright’s 11th Hour Racing Team was considered the outright favourite. But having not competed in the Route du Rhum means that the boat has not lined up against those that it will face from January onwards in a long offshore race.

The IMOCAs are sailed by a complement of five crew, including an onboard reporter (OBR) that takes no part in the sailing. Each IMOCA 60 team has to include at least one female sailor.

VO65s no longer go for a third lap of the planet. Photo: Robin Christol

VO65s Sprint

Although not delivering the original objective of getting two fleets around the world, the late addition of The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint Cup has provided incentive to teams that had been in the wings for some time but unable to commit to a full circumnavigation. A flurry of activity in recent months has resulted in six teams signing up.

The 65s will have a crew of 11 including an OBR. At least three of the crew must be female and at least three of the crew has to be under 30 – the youngest, Polish sailor Mateusz Gwóźdź who is just 17 and competed in the Ocean Race Europe , is returning with the Wind Whisper Racing Team .

The Ocean Race 2023 teams IMOCA 60s

Photo: Amory Ross/11th Hour Racing

11th Hour Racing Team

First to sign up and with way more current sea miles under the keel than any of the other teams, 11th Hour Racing Team skippered by Charlie Enright has been the favourite for some time. Designed specifically for this race and with plenty of runway to refine and develop the boat including four transatlantic crossings, this is the best prepared team. The crew line up is impressive too.

Photo: Malizia – Seaexplorer

Team Malizia

Skippered by Boris Herrmann, who finished 5th in the 2020 Vendée Globe on his first attempt, his team launched their brand new, radical 60 with its distinctive central accommodation area last July.

The boat was designed by VPLP to not only compete in the Ocean Race but also for Herrmann’s 2024 Vendée Globe campaign. Little is known about the true potential of this boat as Herrmann was forced to nurse the boat across the Atlantic after a problem with the mountings for one of the daggerboards.

Photo: Eloi Stichelbaut/polaRYSE

Biotherm Racing

Another brand new boat is Paul Meilhat’s Biotherm Racing , which launched in August 2022. Having co-skippered with Charlie Dalin, Sam Davies and others, Meilhat is fully up to speed with the latest generations of IMOCA 60.

While Meilhat and his crew, which includes Paralympic champion and IMOCA sailor Damien Seguin , have had little time to refine the new Biotherm , they will have gained a great deal of confidence in the boat following Meilhat’s 6th in the Route du Rhum.

Team Holcim – PRB

Designed by Guillaume Verdier for an Ocean Race team that fizzled out, Kevin Escoffier’s Holcim PRB is a modified version of the original design that Escoffier will also solo race in the Vendée Globe. Finishing 4th in the Route du Rhum has not only validated the boat’s potential in a very competitive fleet, but has underlined Escoffier’s credentials as a skipper.

Having finished 3rd and 1st in his two previous fully crewed round the world races with Dongfeng , Escoffier also knows how to get to the front in this long-haul competition.

Photo: ILP Vision/Charles Drapeau

Guyot Environment Team Europe

Winning the Ocean Race Europe in 2021 in an older, non-foiling IMOCA 60 provided the catalyst for Robert Stanjek and crew to compete in The Ocean Race.

Co-skippered with Benjamin Dutreux their boat may not be the latest but as the former Hugo Boss it finished 2nd in the 2016-17 Vendée Globe and is widely considered to be both quick and proven.

The Ocean Race 2023 Sprint teams – VO65s

Ocean Race Europe winners Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team return with an all-Portuguese team skippered by António Fontes who competed as a sailor in the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo.

Dutch Team Jajo is led by 27-year-old Jelmer van Beek with offshore legend Bouwe Bekking as a watch leader, an addition that must surely increase expectations.

Polish Wind Whisper Racing Team is skippered by Pablo Arrarte.

Viva Mexico is led by Erik Brockmann – aiming for a Mexican comeback of sorts after Sayula II ‘s historic win in the first edition of the race in 1973.

Austrian Ocean Racing also returns, along with the Lithuanian Ambersail 2 team, led by London 2012 Olympian sailor Rokas Milevičius.

The Ocean Race Course

The course for The Ocean Race has a new first stopover mid-Atlantic at the Cape Verdes, before an extra long Southern Ocean leg of 12,750 miles from Cape Town, South Africa, to Itajai, Brazil. This new stage passes south of all three Great Capes and is expected to take 34 days.

After this mammoth Southern Ocean leg, the fleet then moves onto a series of much shorter legs. From Brazil they head to Newport, USA. They then cross the Atlantic to Aarhus, DEN. After that a very short hop from Aarhus to The Hague, NED fore a race from The Hague back to Genova, ITA.

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Latest News: Fickle First Week for McIntyre Ocean Globe Race

days hrs mins secs

• Daily Reports

By Brian Hancock

The day before the start is always fairly hectic. Do we have enough toilet paper on board? Did someone remember the matches? There is a lot that goes into the race around the world. Back in my ‘Drum’ days we were given one small bag and were told, “fit what you can in the bag and if it doesn’t fit, you probably don’t need it.”

It was definitely a good point and a good lesson for life. I mean, how much crap do we need? I am in my mid-sixties, (although people still think I am 25). I have been trying to shed clutter from my life so I say to my friends in the OGR, less is more. However, having said that, just don’t run out of food, and more importantly, don’t run out of coffee. I have a wife who is two different people; before coffee and after coffee. Hansel and Gretel if you will. I personally don’t drink coffee but I have witnessed first hand the effect of a caffeine-free crew and it’s not a pretty sight.

There has been a lot of hustle and bustle in Punta and not all of it focused on the boat. There has been time for celebration. A prize giving, some general nonsense and some fantastic parties hosted by the Punta del Este Yacht Club. All in all Uruguay has put on an amazing stopover for these great sailors in this great adventure. Starting tomorrow Don will be mentioning my books; I have written 19 and hopefully you will jump in and enjoy some of them but for now I have one last anecdote to keep you amused while we wait for the Big Day.

I have mentioned the Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo before. It’s probably one of my most favourite places to eat anywhere on this planet and I have been a few places. I was having dinner there one time a long time ago but I have not forgotten it. This really beautiful lady (I don’t know what you call a woman these days without stepping on a few toes). Anyway this beautiful person sat opposite me. She ordered a salad and a glass of sparkling water. I knew right then and there how she kept her beautiful figure. She was slight and toned. I thought to myself, “good for her.” I was piling into a plate of mostly meat; not a lettuce leaf to be found.

The waitstaff seemed to know her. When she was done with her salad they came over with a slab of beef the size of Mount Kilimanjaro and a (filled to the brim) carafe of red wine. I was mesmerized. She mowed down the steak and flattened the carafe in no time. So much for lettuce leaves.

OK, enough of my digressions. The racing is about to get underway again. Tuesday is a big day. It looks like (according to Windy) that it’s going to be a halfway decent first couple of days with spinnakers flying and a steady breeze from behind, but it’s going to turn to mush (technical term) a few days in. Headwinds and calms await. It will be time to see who come up roses at the finish off the Royal Yacht Squadron in England.

Sébastien Delasnerie Race Director

Seb went to the French school: First Class 8, JOD 35, Mumm 30 and Figaro1 before sailing IRC/ORC in the Arabian Gulf, the Med and the RORC championship. After his Yachtmaster and the GGR 2018, he switched to retro-sailing, now campaigning short-handed and sometimes cruising his 1978 Bianca Aphrodite 101.

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Oldest Ocean Globe Race Boat: Olin Stephens’ Galiana

Galiana WithSecure is the last Olin Stephens yawl designed for RORC/CCA, a run that started with Dorade in 1930. She’s also the oldest boat in the current Ocean Globe race 

About galiana withsecure.

Galiana WithSecure , a 1970-vintage, yawl-rigged, S&S-designed Swan 55 is the oldest yacht competing in the current Ocean Globe Race. Skippered by Tapio Lehtinen and crewed by young Finnish sailors keen to experience the adventurous golden age of sailing during the 70s and 80s, she is the last design under RORC/CCA rules in a 40-year lineage of Olin Stephens designed ocean racing yawls dating back to his breakthrough 1929 design Dorade .  

Dorade, launched from Minneford’s shipyard, New York in 1930 revolutionised offshore racing, finishing 2 nd in that year’s Bermuda Race before going on to win the 1931 Trans-Atlantic Race and Fastnet classic in ’31 and ’33. Between times, she took overall honours in the 1932 Bermuda Race and won the 1936 TransPac – a feat repeated in 2013! 

Previously, Bermuda and Fastnet Races had been won by designs derived largely from fishing schooners and pilot cutters. Dorade by contrast was an ocean-going version of a Six Meter, the class in which Olin and his brother Rod Stephens had first learned to race and later design. 

Tapio has been a big Olin Stephens fan since his junior sailing days and always thought that the Swan 55 yawl remains the most beautiful and classiest boat Nautor has ever built. 

The Finnish skipper recalls, “I have loved the classic Six Meters since my childhood and have owned my S&S designed May Be IV for almost 4 decades. Dorade has always been a sacred yacht in my eyes and one of my dream boats. “

When Lehtinen, who competed in both the 2018 and 2022 Gold Globe races with his S&S designed Gaia 36 , Asteria, a long-keeled forerunner to the Nautor Swan 36, learned from Race founder Don McIntyre that he was planning a retro fully crewed race to mark the Whitbread anniversary, The Finn realised he could fulfil two dreams in one – re-sailing the Whitbread, (he completed the 1981/2 Whitbread aboard  the Baltic 51 Skopbank of Finland ) and owning a Swan 55 yawl.

“When I bought Galiana in 2020, I decided to sail her as much as possible before starting to make her ready for the OGR. Two seasons later I had my list of improvements”.

Preparing Galiana to race

All bunks are now aligned with the keel, so your head is never lower than your feet regardless of the tack. The open saloon without any bunks now, has two sea bunks on both sides plus two settee berths in the middle – making the saloon deliberately cramped to avoid anyone falling across the boat. 

Dry interior

Keeping the interior as dry as possible was achieved by removing the companionway leading from the cockpit to the aft cabin, and building a new dodger and hatchway modelled on the 1930 S&S yawls Comet and Manitou (JFK’s boat during his presidential years) that now leads from the forward end of the centre cockpit down to a wet room amidships.

Having read all the books about S&S designs and studied their ‘60s era 50-60 ft racing yachts, I know that a number had their companionway leading from the top of the coach roof into the main saloon. I also remember the German team, who raced the Swan 55 sloop Walross III Berlin in the ‘81 Whitbread Race complaining that the whole boat (especially the aft cabin) being soaking wet during the Southern Ocean legs. Now the aft cabin is closed off with a sliding door and stays dry.

Nav station

Galiana’s original aft cabin layout included a transverse double bunk under the cockpit. This has made way for our nav station with a gimbled chart table complete with a leather Harley Davidson saddle which has proved itself to be a great feature during the first leg of the race. During the 1981 Race, I had the honour of being shown around Pen Duick VI by Eric Tabarly. He too had a gimballed tables and Harley Davison seat. My plan is to invite his daughter Marie on board to show her Galiana’s nav station – and ask her to sign her father’s book on offshore racing for me. Hopefully she gets out of hospital before we leave Cape Town. (she was bitten by a seal when attempting to hop over one on the dock…)

The cabin now has two bunks set higher than original, and now aligned with the keel. At 60cm wide, they make great sea berths, but the starboard one can be opened into a small double bunk when in port – I’m single, but always optimist!

The ‘boiler room’

The central space where the nav table used to be, is now the ‘boiler room’. This wet area also houses all the electronics which are placed close to the centreline to limit the likelihood of them getting wet in the event of a knock down or roll over. 

This room also houses the water maker, two Safire diesel hot air heaters, and diesel generator. One popular feature is the drying locker for foul weather gear fitted with heated steel ‘organ’ pipes to dry wet boots, hats and gloves. There’s also a ‘liars’ bench, where crew can sit in their wet gear, having a cuppa, while telling yarns about the last port of call. We also fitted a door between this wet room and aft toilet so that crew can take a leak without getting the rest of the interior. wet. Note: It is forbidden to pee over the side on Galiana – We are a safe boat– not to say civilised!

Galiana: Main saloon

One detail important to me is the table, which came from Asteria , made by Cantiere Benello in Livorno in 1965 to S&S drawings. I had left the table ashore during the GGR races because of the lack of space, Likewise Galiana’s original table is now too big, but this sentimental piece of Asteria (which sank shortly after rounding the Cape of Good Hope) is with me. Two steel tubes were installed into the table from the floors up to the deck to make the table sturdy. Two more run longitudinally under the deck to give a good handhold for crew climbing in and out of the upper sea bunks.

The interior has proved to be very safe and functional. Every berth is 60 cm wide which in my opinion, is the most comfortable, with lee cloths stopping you from rolling from side to side…or out of the bunk. Some of the berths can be opened wider when in port. Another piece of nostalgia is the 1940s Paul E Luke solid fuel soap stone stove we have installed in the saloon. These were standard features aboard classy American cruising yachts cruising in the cool waters around Maine. Production ceased decades ago, but a friend found one in a second-hand chandlery in Texas. And we had it shipped over just in case we run out of diesel fuel during the cold Southern Ocean legs.

Unwanted privacy

I had planned to keep the cabin doors on the forward quarters around the mast to give the girls within our crew some measure of privacy, but the first thing they did was to take them out, insisting that they did not want preferable treatment.  At least their decision helped lighten ship!

Dismasted in the Fastnet

Our participation in the OGR was put at risk six weeks before the start when our new main mast came crashing down 10 hours into the stormy Fastnet Race. This led to a frantic rig replacement project undertaken by Marine Rigging Services in Gosport who upgraded all the rigging terminals to fully articulating connectors similar to those pioneered by Cornelis van Rietschoten for his 1981/2 race winning maxi Flyer. To motivate the task force, I reminded them how Simon le Bon’s Whitbread maxi Drum made it to the start of the 1985 Whitbread after losing her keel and capsizing also in the Fastnet. They made it…and thankfully, so did we.

Galiana WithSecure

Designed S&S (Swan 55 yawl)

Built Nautor Swan, 1970

LOA 55ft 3in (16.8m)

LWL 38ft 6in (11.7m)

Draught 8ft (2.4m)

Disp 20.6 tonnes

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A record on the high seas: Cole Brauer becomes first US woman to sail solo around the world

On Thursday, Cole Brauer made history, becoming the first American woman to sail solo nonstop around the world. The 29-year-old from Long Island, New York, celebrated at the finish line in Spain by drinking champagne from her trophy.

Friends, peers and sailing enthusiasts had been cheering Brauer on since last October, when she embarked on her more than four-month journey.

Race organizer Marco Nannini told USA TODAY he started the Global Solo Challenge to "create a platform for sailors like Cole to showcase her skills and move on to a pro sailor career."

While at sea Brauer kept her more than 400,000 Instagram followers updated − and entertained − with videos from onboard First Light. The trip was extremely challenging and physically exhausting, Brauer said in one video from December.

In the post, she describes how frustrated she felt when she had to fix and replace different parts of the boat.

"I don't want you guys to think I'm like Superwoman or something," Brauer said. "Right now I've been feeling just broken," she added, describing how she had to fix the boat's autopilot system after injuring her torso against the side of the boat's hull amid intense waves.

Who is Cole Brauer?

Brauer is from Long Island and competed for the University of Hawaii sailing team. She went to high school in East Hampton, New York, her university team website says. She was the youngest of more than a dozen sailors, or skippers, in the Global Solo Challenge.

The professional sailor lives in Boothbay, Maine, and during the spring and summer, she can be also found in Newport, Rhode Island, gearing up for races, the Newport Daily News reported last year .

Brauer has sailed on First Light, a 40-foot yacht, for over five years, the outlet reported.

"I always said I wanted to race around the world in this boat," she told the newspaper.

From above and below First Light's deck, Brauer shared aspects of her journey with followers and die-hard sailing fans.

On New Year's Eve, she donned a dress and danced at midnight , and in another post, she showed off how many pull-ups she can do.

As the only woman racing solo, nonstop around the world in the first Global Solo Challenge, Brauer said she was determined to prove there's nothing women and girls cannot accomplish.

"I push so much harder when someone's like, 'No, you can't do that,'" Brauer told NBC Nightly News . "And I'm like, 'OK, watch me.'"

Brauer is the first American woman to sail solo around the world. But Kay Cottee of Australia was the first woman in the world to accomplish the milestone, sailing off from Sydney Harbor in Australia in November 1987 and returning 189 days later.

On her profile page on the Global Solo Challenge website, Brauer said she wanted to send a message to the sailing community that it's time to leave its male-dominated culture in the past. In the profile, Brauer took aim at a lack of equal pay and what she describes as harassment in the sailing industry.

"Just as well as this community has built me up it has broken me and my fellow female teammates down. I am doing this race for them," Brauer said.

Brauer and her spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

How long was Cole Brauer at sea?

Brauer was sailing for over four months after departing on Oct. 29.

She finished second in the race, behind a sailor who departed about a month before she did.

The start times differed because that first place boat, Phillipe Delamare's Mowgli, is much slower, Nannini said, explaining the race's staggered start times.

"The format means that if you enter on a slow, small boat you can still win, which makes it much more inclusive than an event where a bigger budget is a definite advantage," he said.

France's Delamare will win first-place prize money of 7,500 euros (about $8,140), Brauer will win 5,000 euros (about $5,430) and the third place finisher will win 2,500 euros (about $2,710), Nannini said.

How dangerous was Cole Brauer's sailing race?

A medical team including a nurse and a physician trained Brauer and sent her on her journey with medicines and medical supplies, in case of any health issues, according to her Instagram account.

Early in the race, Brauer administered her own IV with a saline solution after she became dehydrated, according to one video posted to her social media.

Brauer's most serious health scare happened in early December when she said gnarly ocean conditions caused the boat to jolt, throwing her across the inside of the boat and slamming her hard against a wall.

Her ribs were badly bruised as a result, and her medical team told her to alternate between taking Advil and Tylenol, Brauer said on Instagram.

"Rigging up a sleeping seat belt has been added to my priority list," she said in the post's caption. "I know I'm very lucky that this wasn't a lot worse."

What is the Global Solo Challenge?

The inaugural Global Solo Challenge is a nonstop sailing race in which competitors departed last year from A Coruña, Spain.

The race encompasses nearly 30,000 miles and takes place mostly in the southern hemisphere.

After leaving waters off the coast of Spain, sailors travel south and around Africa's Cape of Good Hope. The race then includes the two other capes that together make up the famous three great capes: Australia's Cape Leeuwin and South America's Cape Horn.

About half of the other competitors dropped out of the race, according to racing data posted online by the Global Solo Challenge.

Delamare finished the race late last month after embarking on his journey in late September 2023, according to race data.

Contributing: Associated Press

Cole Brauer becomes first American woman to race sailboat alone and nonstop around world

A CORUNA, Spain — Alone, Cole Brauer braved three oceans and the elements as she navigated her sailboat for months.

When she and her 40-foot (12.2-meter) sailboat arrived Thursday in A Coruna, Spain, the 29-year-old became the first American woman to race nonstop around the world by herself, traveling across about 30,000 miles (48,280 kilometers).

Brauer, all 5-foot-2 (1.6-meter) and 100 pounds (45.4 kilograms) of her, is one of more than a dozen sailors competing in the Global Solo Challenge. Brauer was the youngest and only woman in the group that set sail in October from A Coruna.

The starts were staggered. Brauer took off Oct. 29. As of Thursday, some in the field had dropped out of the race.

The race took Brauer south along the west coast of Africa, around the Cape of Good Hope and then eastward toward Australia. From there, she continued east where Brauer faced the unpredictable, treacherous and deadly Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America before continuing northeast across the Atlantic Ocean toward Spain.

The race took her 130 days to complete.

“This is really cool and so overwhelming in every sense of the word,” NBC News reported Brauer saying before drinking Champagne from her trophy Thursday while being celebrated by family and fans.

While Brauer is the first American woman to race around the globe alone by sea, she is not first woman to do so. Polish sailor Krystina Chojnowska-Liskiewicz finished her 401-day voyage around the globe on April 21, 1978, according to online sailing sites .

Kay Cottee of Australia was the first woman to achieve the feat nonstop, sailing off from Sydney Harbor in Australia in November 1987 and returning 189 days later.

The global voyage is not an easy one, even on a vessel with a full crew.

“Solo sailors, you have to be able to do everything,” Brauer told the NBC “Today” show Thursday. “You need to be able to take care of yourself. You need to be able to get up, even when you’re so exhausted. And you have to be able to fix everything on the boat.”

Satellite communications allowed Brauer to stay in touch with her racing team and connect with fans on social media, where she posted videos from the race and her boat, “First Light.”

Along the way she encountered 30-foot (9.1-meter) waves that tossed her about the boat, according to NBC News.

She injured a rib and even gave herself an IV to fend off dehydration.

Sailing solo means not just being a skipper but a project manager, said Marco Nannini, the race’s organizer. That means steering the vessel, making repairs, knowing the weather and keeping yourself healthy, he said.

“The biggest asset is your mental strength, not the physical one,” Nannini said. “Cole is showing everyone that.”

One of Brauer’s social media posts from Dec. 8 showed her frustration.

“I haven’t really had the bandwidth to get into everything that’s been going on the past 48 hours, but the short version is the autopilot has been acting up again and I needed to replace some parts and do a rudder recalibration,” she wrote. “For once the light air is actually helping, but it’s been exhausting, and I’m sore and tired.”

“It’s all part of the journey, and I’m sure I’ll be feeling better once the work is done and I’ve gotten some sleep,” Brauer added. “But right now things are tough.”

But she’s handled the tough, even though some in the sport believed it wouldn’t be possible due to her gender and small frame.

“I push so much harder when someone’s like, ‘no, you can’t do that,’ or ‘you’re too small,’” Brauer said.

“It would be amazing if there was just one other girl that saw me and said ‘Oh, I can do that, too,’” she added.

This story has been updated to remove an erroneous reference to Brauer being the first American woman to circumnavigate the globe alone in a sailboat.

Sailor Cole Brauer makes history as the first American woman to race solo around the world

Aboard her 40-foot racing boat First Light ,  29-year-old Cole Brauer just became the first American woman to race nonstop around the world by herself.

The New York native pulled into A Coruña, Spain, on Thursday after a treacherous 30,000-mile journey that took 130 days.

She thanked a cheering crowd of family and fans who had been waiting for her on shore.

“This is really cool and so overwhelming in every sense of the word,” she exclaimed, before drinking Champagne from her trophy.

The 5-foot-2 powerhouse placed second out of 16 avid sailors who competed in the Global Solo Challenge, a circumnavigation race that started in A Coruña with participants from 10 countries. The first-of-its-kind event   allowed a wide range of boats to set off in successive departures based on performance characteristics. Brauer started on Oct. 29, sailing down the west coast of Africa, over to Australia, and around the tip of South America before returning to Spain.

Brauer is the only woman and the youngest competitor in the event — something she hopes young girls in and out of the sport can draw inspiration from.

“It would be amazing if there was just one girl that saw me and said, ‘Oh, I can do that too,’” Brauer said of her history-making sail.

It’s a grueling race, and more than half of the competitors have dropped out so far. One struck something that caused his boat to flood, and another sailor had to abandon his ship after a mast broke as a severe storm was moving in.

The four-month journey is fraught with danger, including navigating the three “Great Capes” of Africa, Australia and South America. Rounding South America’s Cape Horn, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet, is often likened to climbing Mount Everest because of its perfect storm of hazards — a sharp rise in the ocean floor and whipping westerly winds push up massive waves. Combined with the frigid waters and stray icebergs, the area is known as a graveyard for ships, according to NASA. Brauer  said  she was “so unbelievably stoked” when she sailed past Cape Horn in January.

Marco Nannini, organizer of the Global Solo Challenge, said the comparison to scaling Mount Everest doesn’t capture the difficulty of the race. Sailing solo means not just being a skipper but a project manager — steering the boat, fixing equipment, understanding the weather and maintaining one’s physical health.

Nannini cited the relatively minuscule number of people who have sailed around the world solo — 186, according to the International Association of Cape Horners — as evidence of the challenges that competitors face. More than 6,000 people have climbed Mount Everest, according to  High Adventure Expeditions .

Brauer stared down 30-foot waves that had enough force to throw her across the boat. In a scare caught on camera, she badly injured her rib   near the halfway point of the event. At another point, her team in the U.S. directed Brauer to insert an IV into her own arm due to dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea.

She was able to stay in constant communication with members of her team, most of whom are based in New England,   and keep herself entertained with Netflix and video calls with family through Starlink satellites.   That’s also how Brauer was able to use Zoom to connect with NBC News for an interview, while she was sailing about 1,000 miles west of the Canary Islands.

While Brauer was technically alone on First Light, she had the company of 450,000 followers on Instagram, where she frequently got candid about life on an unforgiving sea while reflecting on her journey.

“It all makes it worth it when you come out here, you sit on the bow, and you see how beautiful it is,” she said in an Instagram video, before panning the camera to reveal the radiant sunrise.

Brauer grew up on Long Island but didn’t learn to sail until she went to college in Hawaii. She traded in her goal of becoming a doctor for life on the water. But she quickly learned making a career as a sailor is extremely difficult, with professional racers often hesitant to welcome a 100-pound young woman on their team.

Even when she was trying to find sponsors for the Global Solo Challenge, she said a lot of people “wouldn’t touch her with a 10-foot pole” because they saw her as a “liability.”

Brauer’s message to the skeptics and naysayers? “Watch me.”

“I push so much harder when someone’s like, ‘No, you can’t do that,’ or ‘You’re too small,’” Brauer explained.

“The biggest asset is your mental strength, not the physical one,” Nannini said. “Cole is showing everyone that.”

Brauer hopes to continue competing professionally and is already eyeing another around-the-world competition, but not before she gets her hands on a croissant and cappuccino.

“My mouth is watering just thinking about that.”

Emilie Ikeda is an NBC News correspondent.

Watch CBS News

Maine sailor Cole Brauer​ now first American woman to race solo around world after finishing 4-month journey

By Laura Haefeli

Updated on: March 7, 2024 / 10:53 AM EST / CBS Boston

BOSTON - Cole Brauer , a 29-year-old sailor from Boothbay, Maine, is now the first American woman to race solo around the world. 

Brauer finished second in the Global Solo Challenge , one of the most extreme sailing events in the world. She arrived in A Coruna, Spain Thursday morning, according to her Instagram page. She was the youngest skipper and the only woman in the race.

"Amazing finish!!!! So stoked! Thank you to everyone that came together and made this process possible," she wrote.

"It hasn't really hit me yet. Everyone's so excited, but for me it hasn't really sunk in that I now hold these records," Brauer later said in a statement. "It just feels like I went for a little sail, and now I'm back."

Brauer has been away from home for four months and was one of ten people in the grueling race. She spent 130 days at sea.

"The goal of this was always to be the first American woman to race solo around the world," Brauer told WBZ-TV in an interview last month.

About halfway into the race, a massive wave crashed on top of her 40-foot-boat and Brauer slammed into the walls of her vessel. She ended up with bruised ribs and still had two months to go. She had cameras on board which allowed a medical team to watch her constantly.

Brauer admitted the journey was lonely, but said she was able to balance the chaos with beautiful, peaceful sunsets and seeing wildlife at sea.

"So excited to like have a cappuccino and a croissant, cannot wait," Brauer told WBZ-TV about her plans when she was finished.

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