Stamm wins solo yacht race

Stamm won four of the five stages

Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm has won the 2002-2003 Around Alone solo round-the-world sailing race.

Stamm steered his yacht Bobst Group-Armor Lux across the finish line in Newport, Rhode Island on Thursday to take overall honours and win the 60-foot class.

His overall elapsed time for the 28,000-mile race was 115 days, 18 hours, 27 minutes and 23 seconds.

The fleet left New York in September for the five-leg race which stopped in Britain, South Africa, New Zealand and Brazil.

Stamm won four of the five stages to join illustrious past winners such as Philippe Jeantot, Christophe Auguin and Giovanni Soldini.

"I've hardly had a chance to let this sink in, that I've finished my circumnavigation and it's all over," said Stamm.

"It's taken a year of preparation and racing, a sacrifice of one year of my life - and it just stopped."

The remaining four skippers in the Open 60 category are due to arrive in Newport over the weekend.

At 2200 GMT on Thursday, Italy's Simone Bianchetti in Tiscali was second from American Bruce Schwab's Ocean Planet.

Frenchman Thierry Dubois in Solidaires was fourth with Britain's Emma Richards on Pindar in fifth.

The skippers in the 50-foot class are due to finish next week.