Brad Van Liew has won the first leg of the Velux 5 Oceans Singlehanded Round the World Race arriving in South Africa in only 28 days after his departure from La Rochelle, France.

Van Liew wins 1st leg of race – Charleston sailor reaches Cape Town tired but happy

Van Liew sailed more than 9,200 miles in four weeks, averaging 328 miles a day — a pretty amazing feat single-handed. Not even the equatorial doldrums slowed him down.

Only the last 10 miles could do that.

On Saturday night he was plastered by winds of more than 45 miles per hour, leaving him surfing at 18 miles an hour through treacherous seas. But early Sunday, with Table Mountain and the finish line in sight, his main winch broke and his 60-foot yacht Le Pingouin was becalmed.

“I was all ready to get in, I had the boat cleaned up and then it was absolute mayhem,” Van Liew said. “And then it takes five hours to do the last 10 miles to the finish.”