Victory for Bernard Stamm and Bobst Group-Armor Lux

by Mary Ambler on 2 May 2003 At 11:20:10 GMT (07:20:10 local time) the blue Open 60 Bobst Group - Armor Lux slipped across the last of 5 finish lines off Newport RI, the slight figure of her skipper, Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm up on the foredeck punching his fist into the air with the widest grin, and then setting off two red flares in his hands in triumph of his newly acclaimed title of winner of Around Alone 2002-03.

With 49 points under his belt after 5 legs, 4 of which he won, Stamm's name is added to the winners' hall of fame, comprising of formidable single-handers Philippe Jeantot, Christophe Auguin and Giovanni Soldini.

His overall elapsed time for Around Alone 2002-03 is 115 days, 18 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds, which is one day less than Soldini's time in 1998, although Stamm has raced a 13% longer course. His average boat speed is 10.36 knots.

A host of press boats headed out to follow Bobst Group - Armor Lux towards the line at dawn this morning, and the Swiss ambassador to the USA, Mr. Raymond Loretan, fired the gun as the boat crossed. People flooded down to the Newport Shipyard to give Stamm the welcome a victor deserves after a solo circumnavigation.

Bernard did the best job of spraying the magnum of Champagne Mumm all over the assembled crowd, before heading into his press conference and an onslaught of interviews. As his arrival falls on May Day, the celebrations will continue on both sides of the 'pond' for this irrepressible solo skipper who, according to the tattoo on his arm, was 'born to be a sailor'.

QUOTES FROM THE PRESS CONFERENCE

'Physically, you think your body has limits but I found that I could push myself further than I thought - even the boat reached her limits before I did. Mentally, though, the hardest thing to deal with was going through the Doldrums. You are searching for ghostly wind that doesn't exist, and I felt that really my boat was like a small cork being pushed around in the middle of nowhere.'

'If there's one thing I have learned, it's that you have to know how to manage the boat and the material to get to the finish. My boat is probably not the fastest in pure boat speed compared to other boats in my class, so I don't think I had the upper hand at the start.

I spent a lot of time studying the weather with Pierre Lasnier before the race, and maybe this is where the difference lies.'

'I was in race-mode all the way to the line, the same as if I was 10,000 or ten miles from the line.

Yesterday I passed a whale, well the whale saw me and took avoiding action as I only noticed it too late! So really anything can happen right to the finish line.'

'This last leg was the most nerve-wracking for me - Around Alone is based on a points system, so I only had to break something and lose it all.

I was worried when Thierry shot out to the East as maybe he had seen some wind that I hadn't, but I stuck to my way, and it turned out well for me.

Saying that, when you do increase your lead it is much harder to control your rivals as they could get into a different weather system and there's nothing you can do about it.'

'I've hardly had a chance to let this sink in, that I've finished my circumnavigation and it's all over. It's taken a year of preparation and racing, a sacrifice of one year of my life - and it just stopped… The earth is so big, it's just a small map on the boat!'

'The whole race has been made up just of big moments, you are never on an emotional plateau; you're either really up or really down. On the one hand there is the beauty of surfing at top speeds in the Southern Ocean - my best was 33 knots - and on the other the constant risk of hitting icebergs or the frustration of sitting in no wind. But the best moment of all - right now!'

'My next project is to race in the 2004 Vendée Globe, as I never finished the last race three years ago, and so I will take part in the Open 60 circuit starting in July this year. I'll be making some changes to the boat so it will be in top condition for the next circumnavigation.'

'I'd like to thank my team, who have worked incredibly hard on land. My shore team fixed everything I broke at sea - and have worked non-stop in New Zealand and Brazil in particular.

In Salvador, my sponsors Bobst Group manufactured the pieces to repair my keel and Armor Lux sent out reinforcements of 3 extra people to do the work. We have the same objective in mind, which is to do everything possible to get the boat to the finish line first!

Weather - The Raymarine 3 day weather forecast and map is posted up online at www.aroundalone.com every other day.

ETA for second boat: @ 17:00hrs local time, Friday 2nd May 2003. The ETA's will be updated every day online, based on the performance data calculated by RayTech 4.1 navigational software supplied by Official Race Partners Raymarine (www.raymarine.com).

Finish Line is a transit from Castle Hill Lighthouse, Newport RI at 41 27.6 N 71 21.8 W. The boats will then dock at the Newport Shipyard, 1 Washington Street.

Around Alone 2002-03 - Overall Rankings - Class 1

1. Bobst Group - Armor Lux: 49 points / 115 days 18hrs 27m 23s

Leg 5 Rankings - Class 1

1. Bobst Group - Armor Lux finished at 11:20:10 GMT 1st May 03 after 17 days, 19hrs, 20m 23s

POSITIONS AT 1400GMT 1st May 2003
You can track the race boats using RayTech 4.1 navigational software by going to the Positions page online and clicking on the link to the Raymarine website at the top of the main chart.

Class 1
Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp AvgHeading DTF

1. Tiscali 36 36.923 N, 66 20.178 W, 77.16 nm, 9.65 kt, 316 °T, 373.27 nm

2. Ocean Planet 34 22.080 N, 65 52.000 W, 25.29 nm, 3.16 kt, 317 °T, 498.60 nm

3. Solidaires 35 09.120 N, 62 54.028 W, 35.20 nm, 4.40 kt, 338 °T, 549.10 nm

4. Pindar 33 35.360 N, 63 02.280 W, 48.36 nm, 6.06 kt, 305 °T, 615.85 nm

Class 2

Boat Lat Lon AvgBsp AvgHeading DTF

1. Tommy Hilfiger 34 07.080 N, 65 45.800 W, 27.49 nm, 3.44 kt, 330 °T, 514.17 nm

2. Everest Horizontal 32 29.254 N, 64 15.372 W, 68.51 nm, 8.55 kt, 319 °T, 636.63 nm

3. Spirit of yukoh 28 35.851 N, 58 41.293 W, 32.20 nm, 4.03 kt, 323 °T, 989.45 nm

4. BTC Velocity 24 05.973 N, 55 20.508 W, 21.12 nm, 2.64 kt, 359 °T, 1313.72 nm

* Spirit of Canada (Leg 4) at 14:00 GMT - 22 11 001S, 36 29 538W Distance to Finish 567nm

Overall Results in Points / Total Elapsed Time after 4 Legs

Class 1
1 Bobst Group-Armor Lux - 39pts / 97 days 23 hrs 7 mins 13 secs
2 Solidaires - 37pts / 98 days 9 hrs 57 mins 47 secs
3 Pindar - 27pts / 110 days 16 hrs 30 mins 23 secs
4 Tiscali - 26pts / 140 days 0 hrs 51 mins 41 secs
5 Ocean Planet - 23pts / 138 days 19 hrs 5 mins 45 secs

Class 2
1 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America - 40pts / 128 days 0 hrs 0 mins 54 secs
2 Everest Horizontal - 35 pts / 148 days 0 hrs 15 mins 41 secs
3 *Spirit of Canada - 25 pts / 174 days 6hrs 47 mins 44 secs
4 Spirit of yukoh - 28 pts / 155 days 23 hrs 24 mins 44 secs
5 BTC Velocity - 23 pts / 174 days 6 hrs 47 mins 44 secs

* Spirit of Canada points & elapsed time after 3 legs only, 3rd place ranking based on his completion of Leg 4.