The irresistible lure of the sea

Brad Van Liew was sailing alone, fighting 20-foot waves at the bottom of the world, days from Cape Horn or any other human being, when he decided to give it up.

He was on top of his game, leading his class in the 2002-03 Around Alone. But he told his wife, Meaghan, that he was finished with solo sailing in the Southern Ocean.

"It's a fascinating place, but it's scary," Van Liew said. "It's an unnatural thing to be there alone."

But now Van Liew is going back for a third trip around the world. He and Meaghan have resigned their leadership roles at the S.C. Maritime Foundation to mount a new campaign in next year's Velux 5 Oceans solo sailboat race, formerly known as the Around Alone.

"I felt like I'd achieved my goals in ocean racing and could spend my time developing the South Carolina Maritime Foundation," Van Liew said Wednesday. "But when Velux 5 Oceans organizers decided to return to Charleston for the 2010-11 race, it ignited a spark in me that I didn't really expect; and Meaghan and I have decided to focus on building a campaign to compete in this edition of this epic race."

Van Liew is the first American entrant for the race that has been run every four years since 1982. Formerly the BOC Challenge, the race made Charleston its home port for two editions in the 1990s. Van Liew raced in the second of those, coming in third in his class.

It's what led him to Charleston.

Shortly after winning the 2002-03 Around Alone, the Van Liews took the reins of the S.C. Maritime Foundation. In their six years there, they raised $8 million, saw the Spirit of South Carolina tall ship built and launched and turned Harbor Fest into a major annual event.

Hank Hofford, chairman of the Maritime Foundation board, said there will be a search for a new director and, if he had to lose the Van Liews, it came at a good time: The next big Maritime Foundation event is slated for Charleston Race Week in the spring.

"We're excited for Brad," Hofford said. "Brad functions best when his adrenaline is ramped up."

The board has named Sarah Piwinski as interim executive director and Jeanne Jamme replaces Meaghan Van Liew as deputy director. The Van Liews, who will continue to call Charleston home, say they will still be involved in the foundation.

Van Liew said there were a number of factors that led to this decision, aside from the natural call of the sea that afflicts all sailors.

He saw a chance to compete in the race as part of the Eco 60 campaign. That division limits the money and number of shore crew a team can have and requires sailors to use a boat at least seven years old. That makes it a significantly cheaper endeavor than competing with the well-heeled European teams, which sometimes spend upwards of $20 million on a campaign.

Van Liew helped race officials develop guidelines for the division, and it stoked his interest. When officials chose Charleston as the penultimate stop on the race, he could not resist.

He saw it as a chance for a family adventure, as Meaghan and their children will meet him at each of the race's four stops. The 30,000-mile, single-handed sailboat race begins in La Rochelle, France, and stops in Cape Town, South Africa; Wellington, New Zealand; Salvador, Brazil; and Charleston, before returning to La Rochelle.

"Brad Van Liew is a true legend of the Velux 5 Oceans race and the solo ocean racing community," said race director David Adams. "His return is a great boost for this race, and we're grateful for the opportunity to welcome a skipper of his raw talent to the race, and also one who communicates his life at sea so well to a global audience."

For now, Van Liew is calling his campaign, appropriately enough, Lazarus.

Reach Brian Hicks at 937-5561 or bhicks@postandcourier.com.