Please select your home edition
Edition
North Sails Loft 57 Podcast

Ericsson Racing Team has third consecutive win in Volvo Ocean Race

by Ericsson Media on 24 May 2009
Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael (BRA) finish first on leg 7 from Boston to Galway, crossing the line at 00:54: 22 GMT 24/05/09 Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race http://www.volvooceanrace.com

Ericsson Racing Team won its third consecutive leg of the Volvo Ocean Race early this morning when Ericsson 4 arrived in Galway, Ireland, to a rapturous midnight celebration at the conclusion of Leg 7.

Skippered by Brazilian Torben Grael, Ericsson 4 scored 11 of a possible 12 points on the leg - three points for third at the scoring gate and eight points for the leg win - and now has 92 points overall. Ericsson 4 crossed the 2,550-nautical mile course from Boston, USA in 7 days, 7 hours, 34 minutes and 22 seconds.

'We're very, very happy,' said Grael, 48, the winner of two Olympic gold medals and five overall. 'It was a rough ride into Galway. We pushed the boat hard and she responded well. It's fantastic teamwork to have a boat so sound that we can push in those conditions. The shore team has done a fantastic job setting up the boat and the boatbuilding and design teams have done a wonderful job giving us such a nice boat. The guys did a wonderful job pushing the boat without risking too much.'

Ericsson 4 arrived to what crewmembers said was the best reception yet. There was a large crowd shoreside to watch the dockside awards ceremony, and many of them came off boats that had greeted Ericsson 4 off the Aran Islands just before midnight on its approach to the finish.

'Galway is fantastic,' Grael said. 'There were so many people on the sea, and all the people in the harbor cheering. For us it's fantastic because it gives you a good feeling.'


Leg 7 was as cold as the finish into China, but made more difficult because it was so wet. Volvo Open 70 and wet are synonymous words in sailing vernacular, but this leg was in water temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius and heavy fog. There also was an abundance of debris in the water, from whales to turtles to fishing pots. Ericsson 4 had a couple of near collisions with whales and had to backdown during a tack to clear a fishing pot from off the keel strut.

'The leg had a bit of everything: very thick fog, cold conditions, warm conditions as we found our way through the Gulf Stream, and we had good gale force conditions across the Atlantic,' said Ericsson 4 navigator Jules Salter. 'It was similar to my other three crossings, but they're all subtle in different ways. The conditions were similar, but there are moments where you have lots of emotions.'

Ericsson 4 was third at the scoring gate south of Newfoundland last Tuesday, crossing 20 minutes behind its two main rivals. Ericsson 4 had resigned for third at the gate in the quest for overall leg victory, surrendering a fight to win the war.

'With about an hour to the gate we decided there was no way we were going to sail over the top of the others, so we sheeted on and sailed higher than them,' said Salter.

'We went for the finish instead of the scoring gate,' said trimmer Tony Mutter. 'It's a short leg and the forecast had wind to the end, so there wouldn't be a lot of passing lanes.'


After clearing the ice exclusion zone, Ericsson 4 overhauled Telefónica Black in a boatspeed battle for first place. It sailed up to and past the Spanish yacht using a new downwind spinnaker and enjoying the strong running conditions.

'We had a good tussle with them,' Salter said. 'Our boat's quick. Any wind aft of the beam and we're very strong.'

The Ericsson 4 International crew included skipper Grael, navigator Salter, watch captains Stu Bannatyne and Brad Jackson, trimmers Horacio Carabelli, Joao Signorini and Mutter, pitman Dave Endean, bowman Phil Jameson and Godfrey and media crewman Guy Salter.

Ericsson Racing Team has now won three consecutive legs of the race. Ericsson 3, the Nordic crew, won Leg 5 (China to Brazil) and Ericsson 4 won Leg 6 (Brazil to USA). Ericsson 4 also won Legs 1 and 2 of the race last year.

The team's second yacht was also runner-up on each leg, but that wasn't to happen a third time. When Ericsson 4 finished teammate Ericsson 3 had some 60 nautical miles remaining.

Switch One DesignExcess CatamaransNavico AUS Zeus3S FOOTER

Related Articles

Melges 15 Fittings Guide
A breakdown of the fittings based on a complete Allen Brothers fit-out If you are looking to upgrade or replace the hardware on your Melges 15, it helps to know exactly which fittings you need and what their role is on the boat.
Posted today at 7:30 am
Fortaleza World Sailing Championships announced
Test event in January 2026, and the real thing in January 2027 World Sailing has confirmed the dates for Fortaleza 2027 World Sailing Championships as 22-30 January 2027, with a Test Event being held one year prior.
Posted today at 6:40 am
All set in Trieste for the Melges 24 Worlds
Racing set to begin at Yacht Club Adriaco The countdown is nearly over. In just a few hours, the Yacht Club Adriaco will oversee the start of one of the most eagerly awaited international sailing events of the season.
Posted today at 4:41 am
2025 Six Metre World Championship Day 1
Wind gods fail to deliver in Oyster Bay, NY Sadly day one of the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club (SCYC) proved to be a non-starter as the wind failed to make an appearance.
Posted today at 12:51 am
52 Super Series Porto Cervo practice race
The loss of the last 'dress rehearsal' is something of a disappointment Although there was just enough breeze to execute a couple of meaningful practice starts, the breeze dropped away and thereafter proved insufficient to allow the planned two short official practice races to be sailed today off Porto Cervo.
Posted on 22 Sep
Materials That Make the Difference
Discover the performance fabrics behind the Henri-Lloyd AW25 collection Discover the performance fabrics behind our AW25 collection. This season, Henri-Lloyd has focused on advanced, responsibly sourced materials designed to thrive in demanding coastal conditions.
Posted on 22 Sep
Teams are go for 2025 Six Metre World Championship
29 boats registered and ready to race Registration is now complete and 29 teams from ten nations are ready to race for the 2025 Six Metre World Championships at the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club on Long Island Sound.
Posted on 22 Sep
2025 Dutch Water Week overall
From experiment to future The Dutch Water Week concluded today with the pilot finals of the Sailing Grand Slam (SGS).
Posted on 22 Sep
RORC Transatlantic Race 2026 preview
3000 miles, one epic challenge The RORC Transatlantic Race in association with the International Maxi Association and Yacht Club de France will start from Marina Lanzarote on 11th January 2026.
Posted on 22 Sep
Aussies take it on in Geneva
Flying Roos back on top of SailGP season leaderboard after tough racing in Geneva The BONDS Flying Roos have reclaimed their lead in the 2025 Season standings after securing a hard-fought podium finish in “street fight” conditions at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in Geneva.
Posted on 22 Sep