(American) Solo sailor completes grueling around-the-world race

[MaineDem]

— After 109 days at sea, solo sailor Bruce Schwab crossed the finish line of the Vendee Globe early Friday on France´s Atlantic coast, becoming the first American to complete the world´s most grueling yacht race.

...

The Vendee Globe began Nov. 7, with the boats sailing south to the Cape of Good Hope before heading into the treacherous Southern Ocean. The route carried them south of Australia and to within a few hundred miles of Antarctica before it rounded Cape Horn for the final run back to France.

Schwab covered more than 23,680 miles of often choppy waters in 109 days, 19 hours, 58 minutes and 57 seconds at an average speed of 8.98 knots. His trip came 13 years after countryman Mike Plant was lost at sea during the race.

Plant´s overturned Coyote boat was found by a container ship in the North Atlantic. Plant had entered the inaugural Vendee Globe in 1989-90, but, after 135 days at sea, he abandoned after a rigging part broke.

Prior to Schwab´s feat, the only American to make a nonstop solo circumnavigation was Dodge Morgan of Harpswell, Maine, who did it in 1985-86 in 150 days. Morgan was one of the speakers at last summer´s ceremony in which Schwab´s boat was lowered into Portland Harbor.

http://news.mainetoday.com/apwire/D88FK9BG0-55.shtml

[HuckleB]

1. Wow! Now that's an accomplishment.

I'm impressed. Seriously. This guy did this on his own. The shoe-string budget and complete lack of corporate sponsorship makes this an old-fashioned hardcore achievement.

Bruce Schwab, Congratulations!

Salud.

[HuckleB]

2. The full story behind the sailor and the boat...

http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1109423998115390.xml

"...Unlike the multimillion-dollar, corporate-sponsored Vendee Globe campaigns mounted by other skippers, Schwab spent the last five years scrounging for donations of cash and gear.

Although sailing rarely registers with U.S. sports fans, Schwab's grass-roots effort captured the imagination of many Oregonians.

Individuals donated money. Small companies, such as Portland's Nobeltec, which makes navigational software, charts and radar, gave equipment and supplies. And scores of Pacific Northwest fans followed Schwab's effort via news reports and the Internet. Some of them regularly e-mailed words of encouragement.

Among those who watched with keen interest were Steve Rander and his crew at Schooner Creek Boat Works. They spent more than six months building Ocean Planet, an Open 60-class monohull. It cost about $1 million -- around one-third the cost of the other entries.

..."