Alan Paris marked 100 days at the helm of BTC Velocity in the middle of nowhere yesterday.

The Bermudian sailor is competing in the arduous Around Alone global race and is currently tackling leg three of the event between South Africa and New Zealand.

Yesterday Paris, who is bringing up the rear in his comparatively tiny Class II yacht, reached the halfway mark of his adventure at 45 S latitude 123 E longitude, approximately 1,200 nautical miles south west of Tasmania in the Indian Ocean.

"It's a day to reflect on what has led me to being in the infamous and hostile Southern Oceans and those that have helped get me this far," said Paris via e-mail from his yacht. "It was three years ago almost to the day that I was sitting in a yacht designers' office in Sydney, Australia exploring the possibility of designing and having a boat built that would safely take me around the world single-handed.

"Just to get to this point took years of dreaming and then solid planning. Designs were made, building timetables booked, BTC Velocity was built, sea trials held in Australia, shipped to Florida and then in late January last year we arrived in St. George's to a fantastic welcome."

In the first 100 days Paris has travelled across the Atlantic, by way of the Grand Banks to England's south coast, south across the notorious Bay of Biscay, known for its dangerous seas, ran to port to seek shelter from a late season hurricane, had fantastic Trade Wind sailing near the Canary Islands and has been covered by Saharan sand off the coast of Senegal.

He has also experienced frustrating calms and scary waterspouts of The Doldrums and then a long looping course around the south Atlantic High into Cape Town.

"Since I left Cape Town 26 days ago BTC Velocity and I have had a baptism in the Southern Oceans, although winds have not peaked above 55 knots and seas have not reached more than 25 feet - they often reach higher," he said. "We have been knocked down to 90 degrees on three occasions by waves that stop at nothing in their way in weather patterns that are one low pressure after another.

"Water temperatures of 44 degrees have made for some winter sailing conditions. The beauty of the Southern Ocean albatross, the inquisitiveness of the seals off Cape Town, joyfulness of the romping dolphins and surprise sightings of whales are just some of Mother Nature's offerings.

"All this and only half way!"

Swiss yachtsman Bernard Stamm guided his damaged boat through stormy seas to reach the New Zealand port of Tauranga yesterday and win the 7,125-mile third leg of the Around Alone.

As he crossed the finish line with torn sails and with large sections of his yacht's hull falling apart, the tiller fell off in his hands.

Stamm completed the leg from Cape Town, South Africa to Tauranga on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island in 25 days, 12 hours, 24 minutes, 43 seconds - two days inside the record for the leg. The race previously stopped in Auckland.

Stamm took the lead shortly after the start on December 14 and held it across the Southern Ocean during which his yacht reached speeds of 30 knots and made daily runs of up to 400 miles.

He described the last 36 hours of the race, during which he battled gale-force winds and high seas, as "hell."

"The wind picked up to 45 knots from the southeast and I had to beat all the way to the finish," Stamm said.

"The waves were very steep and dangerous. I had to stop the boat and fix my steering which had come loose. I also had to deal with a mainsail that had ripped."

Frenchman Thierry Dubois, in second place, had 200 miles to run to the finish on late position reports yesterday while New Zealander Graham Dalton was 425 miles from the finish.

The 7,850-mile fourth leg from Tauranga to Brazil is due to start on February 9.