Van Liew Third After First Leg

Rookie Brad Van Liew of Los Angeles is in third place in Class II as the 15 remaining Around Alone sailors start the second leg of their continuing calamity from Cape Town, South Africa, to Auckland, New Zealand, today.

“I’m happy that I was able to finish [the first leg] as well as I did,” he said. “I also feel that I could have done better if I didn’t have the problems. [But] this is a race where problems happen.”

No kidding.

On the first leg, 6,685 nautical miles from Charleston, S.C., to Cape Town, Russia’s Viktor Yazykov performed elbow surgery on himself, South Carolina’s Robin Davie sailed the last 2,500 miles without a rudder and Russian Fedor Konioukhov, who has climbed Everest and skied to both poles, spent most of the time pumping water out of his leaky boat.

Van Liew, 30, thought he had problems with a torn mainsail and bad rudder bearings. Sailing an older boat--the refitted 50-foot Balance Bar--and as the youngest and one of the least experienced global sailors in the fleet, he figured he had his rivals right where he wanted them.

“I deliberately came into this race knowing that I was an underdog,” the USC alumnus said. “I positioned myself so that the people didn’t know what the boat or myself were capable of.”

But now, heading into the Southern Ocean, where the worst things have happened in previous races, there are no illusions.

“The weather will be scary at times, but the best and worst will come next leg,” Van Liew said.

Britain’s Mike Golding is the Class I leader after setting a record of fewer than 35 days on Leg 1. France’s Isabelle Autissier, who was rescued after her boat capsized during the second leg four years ago, is a close second.

France’s Jean-Pierre Mouligne leads Class II, followed by Britain’s Mike Garside and Van Liew.

Stephen Pizzo of Quokka Sports assisted with this story.