By Laurie Fullerton

Newport, R.I. - Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm, 39, won the Around Alone single-handed yacht race today, completing a circumnavigation of the globe in 115 days, 18 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds.

Stamm's win solidifies Switzerland's emergence as a sailing power, after the country won the America's Cup for Switzerland for the first time in its history this past March.

Stamm arrived at first light off Newport on Wednesday and while the sky clouded over shortly after the finish, it didn't dampen Stamm's spirits, who completed the fifth and final leg of the Around Alone yacht race in 17 days, 19 hours, 20 minutes and 10 seconds. The entire circumnavigation covered 28,000 miles from Newport to England, South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and back to Newport and there are a total of 13 boats still in the race.

"I haven't really realized that I have won, but I am extremely happy to be here," Stamm told a gathering at the Newport Shipyard early Wednesday morning. The exhausted skipper had slept in 30-minute intervals over the past 17 days since he left Salvador del Bahia, Brazil.

When asked what the toughest part of the race was he said, "I think the biggest challenge was to keep the ship intact. There is a fine line between speed and security."

During his journey, Stamm reached speeds of 33 knots. Boat damage was inevitable and occurred on each leg but the worst moment came just after rounding Cape Horn off South America on the fourth leg.

"I was traveling at 32 knots when I slammed into a huge wave," he said. "It damaged the keel and I had to round Cape Horn knowing the keel was broken."

A broken keel can easily flip a boat and Stamm made the decision to turn in at the Falkland Islands for a 22 - hour stopover to make repairs.

During that critical stopover, Stamm lost valuable time to second place competitor, French sailor Thierry Dubois. He quickly left the Falkland Islands with superficial repairs to the keel. While the Swiss sailor shot off to the east, Dubois was in a different weather system and was caught with no wind. Stamm continued to expand his lead.

"I was able to gain on Thierry and although I was behind, I made up the time and I eventually crossed right in front of him. I finished the fourth leg just three hours ahead of him."

Stamm said that on this final leg to Newport he was the "most nervous" because he trailed second place Frenchman Dubois by just a few points.

"The entire race is figured out on points and I was only a few points ahead of Thierry overall. All it would take is for me to break something on this last leg and Thierry would take the lead," Stamm explained. As it turned out "Thierry cut a corner and headed west and I sailed into a tropical storm north of the Bahamas. I got ahead of the weather system again and while the others were becalmed I kept just ahead of it."

At the finish, Stamm established a 400-mile lead over Dubois and as he approached the line on the final night at sea "it felt like it could have been 10,000 miles or 10 miles. It is never over until you cross the line. The arrival here in Newport is the high moment. But, it is important to remember wherever you place, if you finish this race you are a winner."

Because of Switzerland's dominance in this race and the recent America's Cup win, event organizer Brian Hancock thanked Stamm for "contributing another boat to the Swiss Navy. Now there are two." But, Hancock added, "you have amazed people by your performance. You thrashed the competition and you are a huge inspiration to all of us."

The remaining 12 sailors are still at sea and are due into Newport over the next few days, including the only female competitor, Emma Richards, 29, of England.

05/01/2003