Let this article be a gift to women on March 8, International Women's Day

Because our newspapers and television channels are so bogged down in domestic politics, we hear and read very little of what is happening in the world; fortunately, thanks to social media and the internet, we can take a look at what is going on outside.

Cole Brauer, a 29-year-old American woman, has been sailing around the world in her 13-meter boat since last October, that is, for almost 4.5 months. Brauer, who will cover a total of 27 thousand miles (43 thousand km) in the race, grew up in a family not involved in sailing. Her father was a contractor and her mother owned a small gift shop. 

Saying "I can do it too," she threw herself into sailing, and through hard work and perseverance, she quickly became a rising star in the racing world.

She set an ideal for herself: to become the first American woman to race solo and non-stop around the world in a sailboat, and she set out to achieve it. Let us add that this woman with such an ideal is 155 cm tall and weighs less than 50 kilograms.

Cole set off south from the port of Coruna, Spain, on October 29, 2023, with her boat, First Light. The race she entered was the Global Solo Challenge, a non-stop race that starts and ends in Coruna. Cole was the only woman and the youngest of the 16 captains in the race. 

She traveled down the Atlantic Ocean, passed the West African coast, rounded the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, crossed into the Indian Ocean from there, and then sailed around Cape Leeuwin in Australia before heading towards South America via the Pacific.

On January 26, she rounded Cape Horn in Chile. This was the turbulent Drake Passage, which connects the Pacific and the Atlantic between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, just above Antarctica, considered the Everest of the seas. This place is a sailor's graveyard; many people have lost their lives while crossing it, but despite her inexperience, Cole crossed it too.

Cole, who has been battling 15-meter waves while sailing around the world, will finish her trip these days and says:

“Sailing is like driving a car on the highway, and you don't have a gas pedal or a brake. All you have is a loose steering wheel. Sometimes I feel like I'm flying.”

During the race, Cole also fell and broke a rib, and she struggled with the pain from that as well.

Cole lowers the sails of her boat by herself and uses both her arms and legs like an octopus, tying everything down tightly. Meanwhile, her boat's autopilot also broke, and she had to leave the boat unattended for two days.

Before entering this massive race, Cole also competed in the Bermuda One-Two last summer and not only won the yacht race but also became the first woman to achieve this. For her, this was a turning point in her career.

Cole said:

"When I was preparing for these races, no one took me seriously. I was always just 'the girl in the van' because I lived in a van. But what I have done shows that we women can do everything men can do. We don't have to follow in men's footsteps; we are the ones taking responsibility now."

Cole describes sailing in the southern seas as follows:

"Being here is like being on Mars, but much wetter. It's desolate, there's nothing around, and you're in the middle of nowhere. When I was at Point Nemo in the South Pacific, the part of the ocean furthest from any land, the closest people to me were on the International Space Station."

How Cole's days pass: In the mornings, she talks to her three-person team, one of whom is a doctor, then she does some exercise; there is no heating system on the boat, so you just feel damp, cold, and worn out. Then comes her breakfast, which usually consists of tea and oatmeal. The story of Cole, who shares every moment of her journey on Instagram, is a gift to women for March 8, International Women's Day.

Bravo, Cole.

By the way, while mentioning Cole, let's not skip Turkey's female sailors. Two women I follow on Instagram publish their adventures on the 2women2boats account; follow them and share their adventures.

Xxx

The other day on Netflix, I watched the story of American women's rights advocate and feminist lawyer Gloria Allred. Gloria Allred, who dedicated her entire life to women's rights and put actor Bill Cosby in prison by exposing his rapes, started her profession by defending Black people. At that time, a colleague asked her:

“Gloria, you are defending Black people now, but when will you defend women's rights?”

This question surprised Gloria, and she replied:

“What rights are women missing that need defending?”

The experienced lawyer's answer was short:

“Wait, you'll see.”

Of course, this answer was an indication of Gloria's ignorance at the time, and later, when she dedicated her life to women's rights, she realized how 'funny' her answer was and laughed at herself.

Unfortunately, the majority of women are in the same situation regarding women's rights, especially in our country.  We hope that all our women will one day realize the rights that have been taken away from them or that others want to take away.

If women do not defend their own rights, they will have to settle for the favors of others.

Happy March 8, International Women's Day.