KEY POINTS:
Kiwi Graham Dalton completed sailing solo around the world yesterday even though he had dropped out of the Velux 5 Oceans race earlier.
After a journey plagued by problems, including a fallout with his main sponsor and being ruled out of the race after gear problems, Dalton arrived in Bilbao, Spain, at 0315 local time.
Dalton, 55, was struck out of the race in April when he failed to make the start line in Norfolk (Virginia, United States) for the final leg within the specified time.
However, Dalton - the older brother of Grant Dalton, boss of Emirates Team New Zealand - continued his 48,300km journey and, last week, reported to race director David Adams that he had lost his port rudder.
Racing in memory of his son, Tony, who died of cancer in December 2005, Dalton named his yacht A Southern Man AGD - the last three initials after his son.
During the first leg, to Perth, his wife, Robbie, was diagnosed with breast cancer but elected not to tell him until she had had a masectomy so that he would not abandon the race.
Dalton said yesterday he was determined to complete his journey.
"You never give up," he said.
"I see it as a lack of character. I see it in yachting, I see it in other sports where someone's not winning so they give up.
"I see it as a lack of backbone. You have to take it on the chin. You have your good days and your bad days.
"To complete the race is something I've wanted to do for 40 years and I've worked towards it my entire life.
"I've said before and I'll say again, there'll be snow on the equator before I give up."
Dalton made at least six stops with gear failure after being battered by extreme weather.
The single-handed race started on October 22 last year in Bilbao.
- NZPA
