TACKLING THE LONELY SEA VICTORIOUS SOLO SAIL AROUND THE WORLD A REAL ADVENTURE.

Byline: Keith Lair Staff Writer

Brad Van Liew spent 148 days alone at sea.

So, what did the USC graduate miss the most? Companionship of his wife, fellow Trojan Meaghan? A ``real'' meal; one that was not freeze-dried? A shower? A toilet? Eight hours of uninterrupted sleep?

Try none of the above. There was no shower or toilet aboard his 50-foot monohull Tommy Hilfiger Freedom America boat. He could communicate via radio phone with Meaghan each day. He took catnaps of an average of 26 minutes.

No, Van Liew's loneliness was more maternal. Brad began the Around Alone race Sept. 15, 2002, when daughter Tate Magellan was 5 months old. He completed the around-the-globe race May 4.

``I could talk to Meaghan every day,'' he recalled. ``But it was tough because I could not see or talk to Tate.''

Ah, the joys of fatherhood.

``I did not expect it,'' he said. ``I was told that fatherhood would change everything. I really did not believe it. But being a father is a whole new angle.''

Van Liew, who moved to Mount Pleasant, S.C., from Playa del Rey - where he remains a member of the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey - now has plenty of time to spend with Tate, who is 14 months old. He recently became the fastest American to sail the globe alone.

He completed the 2002-03 Around Alone race in 148 days, 17 hours, 54 minutes and 17 seconds on May 4. He dominated all five legs of the race, which went from Newport, R.I. to New York City, to Torbay, England, to Capetown, South Africa, to Tauranga, New Zealand, to Salvador, Brazil, and back to Newport, a race distance of 28,800 nautical miles (33,142.4 statute miles).

He became the first American to win all five legs and the first American to win the event since Mike Plant in 1988-89. Plant sailed the distance in 31,094 nautical miles (35,782.3 statute miles).

In the process, Van Liew averaged 8.33 knots (9.521 mph), and covered the most distance in one day (345 miles), both records for 50-foot boats.

``We obliterated the competition,'' he says without shame.

He won his class by 21 days and passed several 60-footers in the race in the process.

``It has been wonderful,'' he said of the adventure. ``I think the performance surprised people. But for us, it was no surprise. The whole project and campaign was very comprehensive and perfectly executed. I think we set the standard for what this competition could be like, and I think that surprised a lot of people.''

He said it was so well done, he did not have to worry about the logistics of the race or what his crew would be doing once he reached land.

``All I had to do was focus on the water,'' he said.

That could have been the hardest part for the 34-year-old, who considers himself hyper-competitive. He spent 455 hours of his water time on the Internet checking on weather patterns. It's why, he said, he was able to take more circuitous routes to ports yet still record faster times, including his run from England to South Africa, when he sailed closer to South America than Africa to take advantage of the winds and set his single-day record.

And it means he more than likely will never do this competition again; although he said one never says never.

``I kind of doubt it,'' he said. ``I'll be moving on to another project. I think it will be awfully tough to race in the Alone after what we had done.''

Van Liew described the event as ``sprints'' from one port to the next, and his 10-person crew met him in each harbor, where he made repairs and made sure everything was in working order. With ice floes, whales, rogue waves, oppressive heat and cold and the constant threat of going overboard, the ``sprints'' certainly did not make for an easy trip.

Van Liew grew up in Rancho Santa Fe and went to a private San Diego high school. Although Southern California is well known for its sailing community, he learned to sail while on vacations in Washington. As a teenager, he worked on boats in Newport, R.I., during the summer, where he says he learned all aspects of sailing, allowing him to take on his second Around Alone event.

And although he now lives in South Carolina, Southern California is still home. He will be back Aug. 16-23, when the Freedom America yacht pulls into Fisherman's Village in Marina del Rey.

The domination, he hopes, can help put the sport on the map, drawing attention like the America's Cup.

``It's one of those edgy sports,'' he said. ``If we get major sponsors, like I had, the timing could be right.''

Of course, it would need more television exposure, and that could be a problem. Van Liew had cameras mounted onboard and showed live photos via the Internet. With satellite telephones, the race could be shown on television live, like reporters did during the Iraqi war. But Van Liew says the uplink is just too costly at this point. As a result, sailing fans must wait for postrace documentary-like productions.

``There's no question this is much more mainstream,'' he said.

On arrival in Newport, he greeted Meaghan with a hug and Tate with a kiss. Now, he can firmly grasp the day-to-day progress of fatherhood.

Keith Lair, [phone], Ext. 2272

keith.lair(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Brad Van Liew won the 2002-03 Around Alone race in 148 days, 17 hours, 54 minutes and 17 seconds.

Victoria Arocho/Associated Press

(2) ``It has been wonderful. I think the performance surprised people. But for us, it was no surprise. The whole project and campaign was very comprehensive and perfectly executed.'' - Brad Van Liew

on the Around Alone race