Cole Brauer Named Recipient of America and the Sea Award at Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic, Conn. (July 19, 2024) – Mystic Seaport Museum proudly announces Cole Brauer as the distinguished recipient of the America and the Sea Award for 2024. The prestigious annual award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in the world of maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best exemplify the American character. Cole recently made history as the first woman from the United States to achieve the remarkable feat of racing single-handedly around the world nonstop and unassisted.
Cole finished 2nd in the 2023–2024 Global Solo Challenge on March 7, 2024, sailing a Class40 boat named FIRST LIGHT, also setting a new around-the-world speed record for the class. She began the race on October 29, 2023, in Vigo, Galicia, Spain, and was the only female and the youngest among the sixteen competitors.
Cole Brauer’s unparalleled journey exemplifies courage, determination, and a deep connection to the maritime spirit. Her achievement not only sets a new standard in solo sailing but has also inspired countless individuals worldwide. From 13,000 Instagram followers to 500,000 in 133 days, clearly Cole has struck a chord for this generation and created a new paradigm for the world of professional offshore racing. Part of the allure and the compulsion for hundreds of thousands of people to check in with her each day was Cole’s unvarnished presentation of herself.
“We are thrilled to honor Cole Brauer with the America and the Sea Award,” said Peter Armstrong, President and CEO of Mystic Seaport Museum. “Her groundbreaking accomplishment underscores the resilience and ingenuity inherent in maritime exploration.”
Cole Brauer will be recognized during a special ceremony at Mystic Seaport Museum on September 26, 2024, where she will share insights from her extraordinary voyage and discuss the challenges and triumphs of solo circumnavigation.
Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include pioneers in maritime exploration, competition, arts, industry, design, history, and environmental advocacy.
For more information about past recipients of the America and the Sea Award please visit mysticseaport.org/gala. To purchase tickets, visit msmgala24.givesmart.com or call 860-572-5365.
About Mystic Seaport Museum
Mystic Seaport Museum is the nation’s leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America’s seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to “inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.” The Museum’s grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, Connecticut, and include a recreated New England coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan. For more information, please visit mysticseaport.org and follow the Museum on Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram.
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