We are talking with Carolijn Brouwer in this episode of Women In Sailing. I reached out to Carolijn during COVID early June and found her enjoying her downtime with her family on the Central Coast in NSW
Carolijn has competed in 3 Olympic Games and was the only female skipper in the Tornado catamaran class at Beijing Olympics 2008.
She has participated in 3x Volvo Ocean Race’s and was a part of the SCA All Women’s Team 2014/2015 which won the 8thleg Portugal to France.
Then in 2016-2017, she was a part of the Dongfeng team and this time the overall winner of the Volvo Ocean Race. With one of the closest race finishes in the history of the race.
She holds multiple world and European titles in the Laser Radial & Europe Dinghy Class. And has won a World silver medal in the Tornado catamaran championships in 2007, as well as being the only women in the fleet.
She has been the recipient of 2 ISAF World Sailor of the Year awards the first in 1998 (Olympic Sailing) and again 20 years later in 2018 (Volvo Ocean Race win with DFRT)
In 2018 Carolijn was a part of Stacey Jackson’s Team Ocean Respect on Wild Oats X and completed in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The first “Professional Women’s team” in the history of the race.
She shares with us her sailing adventures from growing up in Brazil to the Olympics, finding herself racing in the Volvos Ocean Race. How making lifelong friendships saw her competing in the Sydney Hobart yacht race.
It’s clear that this lady loves a sailing challenge, is extremely competitive and passionate about sailing.
She has “ticked a lot of boxes and there are still more to do”.
It’s my pleasure to welcome Caolijn Brouwer.
