Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm has won Leg 1 of the Around Alone 2002-03. Sailing his Pierre Rolland-designed Open 60 Bobst Group – Armor Lux, Stamm crossed the finish line off the Berry Head Hotel in Torbay harbour at 15:33:38 local time (14:33:38 UTC) yesterday. Stamm clocks up 10 points as the Class 1 winner for Leg 1, and after starting from New York harbour at 16:00 hrs UTC on 15 September, after sailing 2,930 miles his elapsed time is 10 days 22 hours 33 minutes 38 seconds.

It has been two bites at the cherry for Stamm, who earlier yesterday morning also established a new solo monohull transatlantic record when he passed Lizard Point off the south-west coast of England at 07:42:22 UTC (08:42:22 local time). His official time for the crossing from Ambrose Point to Lizard Point will be ratified by the World Speed Sailing Record Council later today, but his unofficial time was 10 days, 11 hours, 57 minutes and 19 seconds from Ambrose Light.

Graham Dalton’s 60 footer was in second gear without a mainsail on the final stages of this leg. On Tuesday afternoon for a reason as yet unexplained, while sailing upwind Hexagon’s mainsail shed all but one or two of its full length battens effectively rendering the sail unusable. This is a most unusual occurrence and Graham only had one full length batten as a spare with which to try and effect some kind of repair. It’s unlikely however, that he’ll be able to do anything more than sail with three reefs in the mainsail at best. Which, in the present conditions will delay his arrival in Torquay considerably.

Positions

CLASS ONE

1. Bobst Group-Armor Lux, Bernard Stamm

2. Solidaires, Thierry Dubois

3. Garnier, Patrick de Radigues, 372 miles from finish

CLASS TWO

1 Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America, Brad Van Liew, 617 miles to finish

2. Spirit of Canada, Derek Hatfield, 539 miles behind leader

3. Bayer Ascensia, John Dennis, 560 miles behind leader