Swiss sailor remains king of the waves
Swiss skipper Bernard Stamm has won the Velux 5 Oceans, a tough solo around- the-world yacht race, for the second time.
The 42-year-old defending champion and his self-built 60ft yacht Cheminées Poujoulat reached the Spanish port of Bilbao at 5.13pm local time on Monday.
The Swiss sailed 30,000 miles (48,300 km) around the world to win the three-leg race in a total of 103 days, 22 hours and ten minutes.
The last stage was across the Atlantic from Norfolk, in the American state of Virginia, to Bilbao and involved 11 days at sea.
Stamm was well on course to win the overall title, having also won the Bilbao-Freemantle (Australia) and the Freemantle-Norfolk stretches of the race.
Kojiro Shiraishi of Japan in Spirit of Yukoh came in second in Bilbao just 43 minutes behind. He also takes second place overall.
In all, eight skippers from around the world took part.
Stamm, originally from Vaud but now a resident of France, braved bad weather during the last leg. At times, the sailor reported that he could hardly see in front of him owing to the fog.
The Velux 5 Oceans race has taken place every four years since 1982. Stamm had dominated the last competition – then known as the Around Alone yachting race – to win in 2003.
Making waves
The Swiss seem to be gaining quite a reputation for making waves at sailing competitions – quite an achievement for a landlocked country.
In 2003 Swiss team Alinghi clocked up a surprise win in the America’s Cup, the oldest and most prestigious trophy in the sailing world, becoming the first European team to win in 153 years.
The next America’s Cup will take place in June in Valencia, Spain, between the current holder, Alinghi, and the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup.
The Velux 5 Oceans competition may lack the glamour and media attention of the America’s Cup, but the contest is notoriously difficult, styling itself as the “maritime equivalent of scaling [Mount] Everest”.
swissinfo with agencies
Bernard Stamm, from canton Vaud, now lives with his family in Saint Pabu, in Brittany in France.
The 42 year old’s first taste of sailing came while a child. A brief career in the Swiss merchant navy was followed by a period as a boatbuilder and cruising boat skipper.
Stamm’s racing debut came in the mid 1990s.
The Velux 5 Oceans involves sailing a yacht alone around the world. It is said to be a very tough and risky race and has three stages.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the race, which was previously known as the BOC Challenge and Around Alone. It is organised by a British-based company Clipper Ventures.
The race is held every four years. Eight skippers are taking part, single-handedly sailing yachts of 60ft, which are normally manned by a crew of 10-15.
They have to battle changing weather – from the Equator to the North Atlantic – as well as a feeling of isolation and a lack of sleep.
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