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Damaged Stamm loses lead

Stamm opted to head for port rather than risk further damage. Story Tools RESOURCE Interactive: Profiles: Around Alone solo sailors

STANLEY, Falkland Islands -- Swiss sailor Bernard Stamm has relinquished his lead in the Around Alone race to repair his damaged yacht.

He berthed in Stanley on Wednesday after damaging his keel when the yacht crashed off a wave during leg four of the circumnavigation.

Stamm, who has won every leg of the single-handed race since leaving New York in September 2002, was comfortably in the lead as he rounded Cape Horn when he found a crack in the canting keel of his monohull Bobst Group-Armor Lux.

"I was...surfing at 21 knots in winds gusting up to 60 knots and monstrous seas," said Stamm.

"When the boat fell down the side of a wave and I heard a sinister cracking noise."

He will be penalised 48 hours plus the time in port, but could still finish the leg in second or third place.

With 3,000 miles until the next stopover at Bahia de Salvador, Brazil, Stamm opted to head for Port Stanley for repairs rather than risk further damage.

His closest rival French skipper Thierry Dubois will take the lead.

"For me, there is five hours of work to do once I stop," said Stamm.

"There are 50 holes to drill in the two steel plates, and afterwards to align them."

Italian Simone Bianchetti was 400 miles behind Dubois, with Briton Emma Richards more than 600 miles, or at least two days, behind

There are likely to be no more threats to Stamm as the gruelling final Southern Ocean leg has taken its toll on the rest of the Open 60's in Class 1.

Both New Zealander Graham Dalton in Hexagon and American Bruce Schwab in Ocean Planet have broken booms and are heading to Argentina to make repairs, also incurring 48-hour penalties.

With Stamm's runaway lead now in jeopardy, it now looks likely that the final leg from Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island will not be a foregone conclusion.

However few changes are expected in Class 2 with American Brad van Liew on the Open 50 Tommy Hilfiger on a maximum 30 points and continuing to dominate his class. Van Liew is expected to round Cape Horn on Saturday, more than 600 miles ahead of his nearest rival.

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