Ericsson at the RSYC
by Judy Howison on 10 Apr 2006
Ericsson shakes down in Singapore waters Judy Howison
Top professional sailors have made the Republic of Singapore Ycht Club their base for two months. Bjorn Swedin, Ericsson Racing Team Project Director, recently flew in from Sweden to take delivery of the Ericsson VO60 which had arrived by ship from Cape Town. The high profile team had been in Cape Town to support Ericsson’s entry in the current Volvo Ocean Race.
Capable of speeds of up to 38 knots, the VO60 boat is 64 feet long, weighs13.5 tons and the mast soars 85 feet into the air. She was designed by Farr Yacht Design and built by the world-renowned British shipwrights Green Marine in Lymington, UK, and was Sweden’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2001-2002. Ericsson say that the conditions of the VOR mirros the complexity of their global business, whose core values are professionalism, respect and perseverance.
In 2001 the VO60 was considered the fastest monohull sailboat in the world. 13,000 gallons of water can be pumped into three holding tanks in the hull to provide ballast when sailing to windward.
It was amazing to see the carbon fibre mast lying stretched out on the deck at RSYC, but the complex business of putting it all together and then craning it onto the hull can only be left to the experts. Everything had been taken off in Cape Town to prepare for shipment: spreaders, diagonals, halyards, wind instruments, navigation instruments and lights were labelled and wrapped in plastic. The team are enjoying Singapore’s warm weather, but had to get used to working in tropical conditions.
Ericsson loved racing in the Royal Langkawi International Regatta 13-16 February, although the 20 knot winds they’d experienced whilst practicing before the regatta didn’t materialize and they weren’t able to use the water ballast in the light air conditions. For them it was 'a walk in the park' after Cape Town when they had been sailing in 30-45 knots of breeze.
The next stop is Qingdao, and they will be back at RSYC in June for CommunicAsia 2006 when Ericsson will showcase the latest innovations in telecommunications technology.
HowisonMarine are appointed brokers for the sale of the VO60 Ericsson.
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