2006

4 of December of 2006. Bernard Stamm, on board its Open 60 CHEMINEES POUJOULAT, behind schedule crossed the line of goal of the first stage of the VELUX 5 OCEANS this to the 19:18 local time. After 43 days and 12,000 miles, the winner of the previous edition arrived at Fremantle (Western Australia), received with shouts and applause of his friendly, their family and numerous fans to the candle. The victory of Stamm at the top establishes a dominant advantage of the Maximum Challenge alone, that the past reflects the impeccable action of the Swiss hero from the exit of the boats of Bilbao day 22 of October.
 
To its arrival to pantalán, Stamm has commented” I am very contented to be here. Of to have gained this stage and to be of safe and sound return. It has been a stage really very hard: I had to raise the mast 3 times; one with winds of 25 knots. The exit was complicated but the hardest moment was 2 days ago, when suddenly I was struck by a gust of wind of more than 50 knots”
 
“Now, I am going to greet equipment, to eat something delicious, to drink a little champagne and to throw to me to sleep. As far as Mike and Alex, by all means that I am happy that they are safe and sound, but it is a pain lost Alex to have its boat”

Stamm is a navigator of first, with an impressive character. With its untiring ability, anger and persistence, have met the challenges of this hard regata of height. Its clear victory once again demonstrates the highest quality of this navigator, settled down in Britain, France, and the magnificent yield of CHEMINEES POUJOULAT, the boat that he himself constructed, and who hurled in the year 2000.
 
Regata has supposed a true emotional hunting from the first moment, and it has seen him fight with storm winds, frozen waters and mountainous waves, always maintaining a rate of vertigo, traveling at speeds of up to 30 knots. It has survived with rations of hidrofilizada food, hours limited of dream, and dressing multiple layers shelter clothes on a boat of 60 feet of length, without bath, with a kitchen of a single fire, desalted water and without the minimum luxury.
 
The first stage of the VELUX 5 OCEANS has offered us drama and action from the first day. The fleet was itself whipped by enormous waves and wild winds of more than 70 knots. The event has fulfilled its motto, “the Maximum Challenge alone”, since 4 boats were forced to return to port to carry out vital repairs after 24 hours of the hardest conditions in the sea. The boat of Stamm was one of both unique that was able to cross the storm and horrendas conditions, and thus obtained its great advantage on the event, that has maintained until the goal.

Kajiro photographs surprising mountainous wave in the South Pacific.

The navigator of 43 years enjoys an advantage of 968 miles now on second Kojiro Shiraishi (JPN) with SPIRIT OF YUKOH, one of the majors advantages of the history of the circumnavigation to candle. Nevertheless, the dramatic events lived in the ECOVER and Hugo Boss demonstrate that nothing by fact in one of the hardest challenges of the world-wide sport can be given.

Kajiro is photographed next to the snowman done on its cover.

In those latitudes he is frequent that snow under very hard conditions.

Commenting this first victory, the Director of the VELUX 5 OCEANS and old winner of regata, the David Australian Adams has shown its admiration by the Swiss landlord: “Bernard has made a stage phenomenal, and simply he is an incredible navigator. The mast has climbed twice to repair broken halliards, once at night and another one with winds of more than 50 knots. In spite of some problems and damages, it has marked a arrasador time that few could equal.”
 
In Fremantle it waits for a good celebration to him deserved and the postponed celebration of birthday, with the best thing of the hospitality of Western Australia, besides some Swiss specialty.
 
With the retirement of Alex Thomson, Bernard Stamm becomes the unique landlord with three possibilities of completing regatas of return to the world in three years consecutive, all a feat in the world of navigation alone.