Maine-based sailor nears milestone ; Bruce Schwab is expected to become the first American to complete the solo Vendee Globe race.

DEIRDRE FLEMING Staff Writer
Portland Press Herald (Maine)
02-23-2005
Maine-based sailor nears milestone ; Bruce Schwab is expected to become the first American to complete the solo Vendee Globe race.
Byline: DEIRDRE FLEMING Staff Writer
Edition: Final
Section: FRONT
Memo: VENDEE GLOBE SKIPPER WHO: Bruce Schwab, skipper of Ocean Planet. WHAT: Schwab will appear at the Portland Boatbuilders Show to share his Vendee Globe experience. WHEN: March 18-20. WHERE: Portland Yacht Services, Building 3. WHAT ELSE: Schwab's first post-race U.S. appearance will be at Brunswick High School on March 17. For more information about the Vendee Globe, go to www.vendeeglobe.org/uk/ home or www.oceanplanet.org/op/index.cfm.

Before Bruce Schwab set sail for France for the start of the Vendee Globe last fall, he changed the home port of his boat, Ocean Planet, from Oakland, Calif., to Portland.

Today or Thursday, Schwab is expected to sail into Les Sables d'Olonne, France, becoming the first American to complete the solo around-the-world race. A crowd of Mainers will be there to greet him.
The single-handed race has been held every four years since 1989. Schwab, who has wanted to enter the race for years, spent a year preparing Ocean Planet in Portland Harbor.

Phineas Sprague, owner of Portland Yacht Services, which housed Ocean Planet for a year, said Schwab's finish in the race ranks him among Maine's great sailors.

Dodge Morgan of Harpswell is the only other American sailor to have sailed single-handedly around the world without stopping.

And, Sprague said, Schwab's grass-roots approach to the Vendee Globe made him a cult hero.

Unlike the rest of the 20 sailors who started the race, Schwab lacked a major sponsor. He relied on donations and help from many in Maine's maritime industry.

Schwab won't be the first to finish the race. French sailor Vincent Rio already won, and his countryman, Jean Le Cam, took second. Schwab is still expected to finish in the top 10. Seven skippers dropped out of the arduous race.

Most skippers had budgets three and four times Schwab's, said Sprague. "It's like a soapbox derby boat chasing a bunch of Jaguars around the world," he said.

Sprague left Maine last week to greet Schwab in France, and will join Schwab on the boat as he sails into the French harbor.

The Vendee (pronounced VON-day) Globe cost Schwab's nonprofit Made in America Foundation $2 million, and he remains $450,000 in debt, he said. In addition, he was unable to buy insurance to protect his investment.

"If I had insurance, I could race completely differently," Schwab said. "To race around the world with a mound of debt and no insurance, that's pretty loony. Several people's life savings were (at stake)."

Schwab has shared his feat with the public.

Ocean Planet teamed up with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine to make the race an educational tool for students by posting journal entries and nautical information on the Internet.

The Ocean Planet Web site taught about ocean waters and the challenges of the journey.

In the southern oceans, low-pressure storms brought crossing seas that would "swat" Ocean Planet. The boat would right itself, but during the swells Schwab was thrown about and risked injury.

Schwab could anticipate storms by using satellite technology and avoided the worst of them when he could. He still sailed Ocean Planet through waves as high as 30 feet.

"You don't know if the hull is cracked or you've ripped the rudder out or broke a piece of rigging," he said.

He also had to decide whether to venture south, closer to Antarctica and closer to icebergs, or stay north and take a longer route.

"The guy in front of me said one day he saw an iceberg the size of (England's) Wembley Stadium. That's pretty serious stuff," Schwab said.

During his voyage, Schwab also sent e-mail, worked on his computer, played his guitar and watched movies on DVD.

After the race, Schwab plans to search for a major sponsor for Ocean Planet so the sloop can be kept and used for education - and sail back to Maine.

"I'm really proud that we didn't have a big brand name. It says `Ocean Planet.' That is a concept. People bought into that, people all over the country," Schwab said from a satellite phone last week.

In March, Schwab will make appearances in Maine. He then is expected to sail Ocean Planet from France to Maine, arriving in Portland Harbor in May.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at:

dfleming@pressherald.com

Illustrations/Photos:
Caption: Bruce Schwab photo Bruce Schwab sails Ocean Planet about
300 miles off the coast of Portugal on Tuesday. He spent a year in
Portland Harbor preparing the boat for the race.

Copyright 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.