Swiss solo sailing legend Bernard Stamm has crossed the finish line of the Velux 5 Oceans in Bilbao (Basque Country) at 17:13:25 local time (15:13:25 GMT). The defending champion completed the third and final leg of the Velux 5 Oceans onboard Cheminees Poujoulat after a transatlantic sprint that started in Norfolk (USA) 11 days, 23 hours and 53 minutes ago.

By finishing and taking first place in the last leg, Bernard Stamm confirms his dominant victory in the Velux 5 Oceans race, for the second time of his career. The challenge started on the 22 October 2006 when the Swiss skipper left Bilbao with the race of the fleet. Six months later and after 103 days, 22 hours and 10 minutes at sea, Bernard’s victory marks an historic achievement, with a monumental lead of more than 14 days on the overall ranking over second place Kojiro Shiraishi.

Japanese skipper Kojiro Shiraishi is expected to finish in the next 45 minutes, approximately (1800 GMT), coming in an honourable and well-deserved second place.