Photo: Ainhoa Sanchez

Our slightly belated congratulations to Brad Van Liew, the American sailor who won the Velux 5 Oceans single-handed around the world race in his Le Pingouin ECO 60.  Van Liew dominated the Velux 5 Oceans race, winning all five legs.   Van Liew is the first American to finish three single-handled around the word races.  He is also the first person worldwide to sweep all legs of the Velux 5 Oceans race for two complete events.

Van Liew claims American first

Van Liew has competed in this epic solo race twice before aboard 50-foot race boats, taking third place as an underdog entry in 1999 and winning first place in his class in 2003 with a convincing cumulative lead of 21 days. The VELUX 5 OCEANS race of 2010-11 marks his first race on a 60-foot race boat and the introduction of the ECO-60 class. Each competitor is challenged with not only sailing around the world alone, but also showcasing sustainable practices that care for the delicate ocean environment.

The Velux 5 Oceans started from La Rochelle in France on October 17, 2010 and features five ocean sprints. After heading from La Rochelle, France to Cape Town, South Africa, the fleet sailed across the vast Southern Indian Ocean to Wellington, New Zealand. From there, the racing yachts sailed to Punta del Este, Uruguay, and then up the Atlantic to Charleston, South Carolina. Van Liew is the first to finish the final stretch across the Atlantic to France for the finish, while Zbigniew ‘Gutek’ Gutkowski (POL), Derek Hatfield (CAN), and Chris Stanmore-Major (GBR) are expected to finish in the next 48 hours.

See our previous posts about the Velux 5 Oceans.

Thanks to Tom Russell for pointing out the article.