His seafaring odyssey has cost - rather than earned him - thousands of dollars but Alan Paris can certainly empathise with contestants on the television game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Like many of them seeking the right answers, he has resorted to phoning a friend for help during his ongoing circumnavigation in the Around Alone race.

Luckily for him, unlike on television, he can call as many friends as he wants and thank goodness because it's definitely been a small but handy asset amid a mammoth undertaking in great open oceans.

"I hope I haven't used too many of my lifelines but I have certainly phoned a few friends," quipped the sailor, cheerfully alluding to the three chances which prospective millionaires are given to assist them.

"When I broke the wire on my mast I called and spoke to three different people who I consider experts before I put things back together. You have to do everything yourself - no-one can do it for you - but you can gain information and experience from other people."

On another occasion, he capitalised on the knowledge of Ralph Richardson of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute to solve a problem with his engine pump.

Still, since weighing anchor last September when this historic journey began in New York, it's really been Paris versus the elements. Now, four-fifths of the way to his destiny as the first Bermudian to circumnavigate the world single-handedly - and having negotiated some of the most notorious trouble spots at sea - he is much more confident about his ability to cope with crises.

"Out there on the water, you only have yourself and you must come up with solutions to problems and I have had many of those.

"I am not an engine mechanic but I have fixed so many things on my engine that I never believed I could have done," he noted.

He has had to learn fast, not just how to be a jack of all trades, but about keeping his composure in fluctuating circumstances.

"One of the biggest lessons has been trying to remove as much emotion as possible out of situations.

"Whether that be fear when there are strong gales or frustration when it's flat and there's no wind. That (emotion) doesn't help."

Having recently battled some extreme weather in rounding the often perilous Cape Horn - on the tip of South America - he is well placed to speak on how to keep a cool head and heart amid danger.

"Going down that far south - Cape Horn is seriously south - and facing three humdinger of gales, each one with winds in excess of 50 knots and seas 25 feet high, is a real learning curve.

"It's a good thing I had done 23,000 miles (of the race) before I came across that because you need to know what you're doing and you need to have a boat which you believe in. You wouldn't just want to pop off Chile and decide to go around Cape Horn," noted Paris, speaking to The Royal Gazette via satellite phone from Salvador, Brazil, where the penultimate leg ended.

Chatting excitedly about that experience, the Bermudian says surprisingly that he was "almost glad" about the rough conditions he encountered off the cape.

"I know that sounds funny but when you pass an area that has such a history of anger and storms, it would be a shame if it was just flat and calm. If it had been blowing at ten knots it wouldn't have seemed quite right.

"So to go through three gales, to have the boat knocked a couple times, that's all part of the rich stories I'll be boring my grandkids with.

"When you go through three gales like those and come out the other side, you're a different - and perhaps stronger - person."

By stark contrast, some seemingly endless days with no wind have beset the Bermudian at some point during each leg.

"It's really been about the extremes of sailing: either extreme winds and seas or no wind and no seas. Sailing is learning every day," he observed.

Paris is quick to point out that "some challenging sailing" remains before he docks in Newport, Rhode Island, to complete his ambition or, as he sees it, his victory.

"For me, winning is finishing the race. That is a win for Bermuda and for me.

"It was never my intention to win the race. That wasn't going to happen because in my class of boat there are boats larger than mine. There are 50-footers and I am only a little 40-footer.

"I just wanted to do my best but I never expected to win," he explained.

The intrepid sailor who quit his job at Ariel Sands in March 2001 to begin preparing for the voyage attributed his success thus far to a 16-month build-up for the 30,000 mile event.

"I spent a lot of time getting ready. The last two-and-a-half months when the boat was being built I was there. I hired a coach in Australia who did the race twice before. I worked with meteorologists studying ocean currents. I worked with dieticians and physical trainers and electronic specialists."

Despite the unforgettable thrill of fulfilling a life-long dream, Paris looks forward to resuming life on land and reacquainting himself with family, friends and his beloved Bermuda from which he has been away since last August.

He has missed quite a bit including birthdays - his 38th (December 2) was the day after he left Cape Town, South Africa - New Year's and Christmas. He didn't mind the latter as 18 years in the hotel business causes him to associate that with work, not relaxation.

The upcoming Easter holidays will also find him out to sea as the final leg begins Sunday.

"I miss things like that," he confessed, jokingly adding "The kites that I'll be flying will be spinnakers."

One thing the new Director of the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) is definitely relishing is getting some cash in his pockets after his self-imposed unemployment.

Chuckling, he declared: "I am looking forward to my first pay cheque after two years."

As for any temptation to tackle the Around Alone race again, he conceded it would be great to have a chance to implement all the things he learnt this time.

"The only reason I'd want to (do it again) is that I feel I could do it better next time. But the reality is that once is enough."