YEAR, ONE OF THOSE OCEAN RACERS WAS NAVIGATING A NEW CHAPTER IN HISTORY. >> Reporter: SAILING INTO SPAIN, THIS IS A HISTORY-MAKING MOMENT FOR 29-YEAR-OLD COLE BRAUER, FINISHING SECOND IN THE GLOBAL SOLO CHALLENGE, AND BECOMING THE FIRST AMERICAN WOMAN EVER TO RACE NONSTOP AROUND THE WORLD, ALONE. >> Reporter: CELEBRATING AFTER RETURNING FROM HER DANGEROUS FOUR-MONTH JOURNEY AT SEA, SHE FACED HURRICANE-FORCE WINDS AND 30-FOOT WAVES. >> NO! >> WATCH AS ROUGH SEAS THROW BRAUER ACROSS HER BOAT, BADLY INJURING HER RIBS. >> UGH. >> AT ANOTHER POINT, BRAUER BECOMING SO DEHYDRATED, SHE NEEDED AN IV, INSERTING IT HERSELF. >> I HAD HAD A REALLY ROUGH TIME, THROWING UP. >> BRAUER SET OFF IN OCTOBER AND SAILED ROUGHLY 30,000 MILES FROM SPAIN, DOWN THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA, OVER TO AUSTRALIA, AND AROUND THE TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA, BEFORE RETURNING TO THE STARTING POINT. WE TALKED TO BRAUER 121 DAYS INTO HER HISTORIC TRIP. >> YOU WEAR SO MANY HATS ON THIS JOURNEY. >> SOLO SAILORS, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DO EVERYTHING. 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. >> WHILE ALONE ON HER BOAT, BRAUER USED STARLINK SATELLITED TO STAY CONNECTED WITH HER TEAM IN THE U.S. AND THE WORLD ON SOCIAL MEDIA. >> TIME FOR WINE. >> I'VE GOT SOME PRETTY BIG WAVES. >> SHARING CANDID MOMENTS FROM LIFE AT SEA, WITH HER MORE THAN 450,000 FOLLOWERS. >> IT ALL MAKES IT WORTH IT WHEN YOU COME OUT HERE. >> Reporter: BRAUER IS THE YOUNGEST SAILOR AND THE ONLY WOMAN OF THE 16 COMPETITORS IN THE RACE. MORE THAN HALF HAVE ALREADY DROPPED OUT. SHEOPES HER SUCCESS WILL HELP STEER THE SPORT INTO A MORE INCLUSIVE FRONT. >> IT WOULD BE AMAZING IF THERE WAS JUST ONE OTHER GIRL THAT SAW ME AND SAID, OH, I CAN DO THAT, TOO. >> WELL, SOMETHING TELLS ME SHE'LL BE INSPIRING MORE THAN ONE PERSON. COLE TELLS ME SHE WANTS TO CONTINUE SAILING PROFESSIONALLY AND IS ALREADY EYEING HER NEXT AROUND-THE-WORLD COMPETITION, BUT NOT BEFORE SHE GETS HER HAND ON A CAPPUCCINO AND A CROISSANT, HER TWO BIGGEST CRAVINGS OVER THE PAST FOUR MONTHS. >> SHE IS INCREDIBLE. OUR HERO! >> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY. CAN WE WELCOME HER IN? LET'S DO IT! COLE! CONGRATULATIONS! >> COLE, FIRST OF ALL, HOW DID IT FEEL TO FINALLY GET TO THE END OF THIS GRUELING RACE. IT WAS REALLY ROUGH. LAST NIGHT WAS REALLY AWFUL. I SAW ALMOST 58 KNOTS, AND SO TO THE END, IT WAS A REALLY ROUGH SITUATION, BUT I THINK IT'S JUST A REALLY EMOTIONAL, BECAUSE I SEE MY PARENTS, I SEE MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY, I SEE EVERYONE, AND IT JUST BECOMES THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS DREAM HAS BECOME A REALITY. >> IT IS A DREAM. I MEAN, COLE, WE ARE JUST SITTING HERE ALL MORNING LONG, MARVELING AT THE COURAGE YOU HAD TO SET SAIL, AROUND, BY YOURSELF. AND THERE WERE MOMENTS YOU SAID THAT YOU COULD HEAR TOWARDS THE END, YOURCREAKING AND YOU WERE WORRIED IT MIGHT ACTUALLY FAIL. >> YEAH, I THINK THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS, IS THAT THESE MAN-MADE OBJECTS, THEY'RE JUST NOT REALLY MADE TO DEAL WITH THE TYPE OF SITUATIONS THAT WE PUT THEM UNDER, AND MOTHER NATURE IS INCREDIBLE, AND INCREDIBLY STRONG, AND SO WE JUST DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW POWERFUL SHE IS. AND YOU KNOW, BOATS ARE GOING TO START DETERIORATING. >> MOTHER NATURE IS STRONG, I THINK YOU'RE STRONGER. WE WATCHED YOU GET THROWN ACROSS YOUR BOAT, YOU CRACKED A RIB, MEANTIME, YOU STILL HAD TO NAVIGATE, YOU STILL HAD TO DO ALL THE WORK. HOW DID YOU MANAGE THAT AFTER THAT INJURY? >>, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT IT WAS VERY EASY, BUT THERE REALLY IS NO OPTION AT THAT POINT. YOU'RE SO FAR AWAY FROMLAND, THERE IS NO RESCUE, THERE'S NO ONE TO COME AND GRAB YOU. YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING ALONG, AND FEED YOURSELF. YOU HAVE TO USE THE TOILET, YOU HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE, YOU HAVE TO DO SAIL CHANGES, YOU KNOW, LIFE GOES ON. AND SO, EVEN WITH THAT, YOU HAVE TO KEEP WORKING. >> SAILING IS SUCH A PHYSICAL JOB. I LOVE -- I THINK YOU TOLD OUR PRODUCER, YOU'RE PETITE, BUT YOU AREN'T DAINTY. BUT IT IS REALLY A MALE-DOMINATED SPORT. WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE THIS MORNING? WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS? >> YOU'RE 100% RIGHT. IT'S A FULLY MALE-DOMINATED WORLD, AND I THINK THAT IT TAKES A LOT OF STRENGTH TO ACTUALLY PUSH AND TRY TO STRIVE INTO THIS INDUSTRY. AND YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT WOMEN TO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S POSSIBLE. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, BAD TALK AND PEOPLE TREATING YOU POORLY AND GETTING PAID SIGNIFICANTLY LESS, BUT, IN THE END, IF WE -- YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL A NUMBERS GAME, IF WE CAN ALL KIND OF WORK TOGETHER AND COME TOGETHER, I REALLY THINK THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD. >> COLE, WE ARE GOING TO SAY THAT YOU SHOULD GET PAID, BECAUSE WHAT YOU DID WAS A FEAT, AND ALL THE YOUNG GIRLS ARE WATCHING RIGHT NOW. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF THAT YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW? >> I THINK THAT I WAS ALREADY PRETTY GOOD AT LIKE BEING ALONE, AND I THINK THAT'S A SUPER STRENGTH. I THINK, ALSO, IT'S JUST APPRECIATING ALL OF MY FRIENDS, FAMILY, TEAMMATES. I'M USUALLY VERY GOOD ALONE, AND OVER THIS PERIOD OF BEING ALONE, I'VE ACTUALLY LEARNED TO APPRECIATE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE AROUND ME. AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT'S WHAT I WAS GOING TO GET OUT OF THIS. >> BY THE WAY, DID YOU GET THE CAPPUCCINO AND CROISSANT? >> WE'RE BEGGING. >> 100%. IT WAS THE FIRST THING I ASKED FOR TWO AND A HALF MONTHS AGO, AND WE ATE LIKE KINGS AND QUEENS TOGETHER, THE WHOLE TEAM. DEFINITELY. IT WAS AMAZING. >> WE'RE SUPER PROUD OF YOU, COLE. CONGRATULATIONS! >> CONGRATS! >> THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. SO AWESOME. >> AMAZING. >> DON'T YOU WANT YOUR GIRLS TO WATCH HER AND GO, ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE. >> YES, I DO. I STILL CANNOT GET OVER THE COURAGE IT WOULD TAKE TO BE OUT THERE AT SEA BY
