Early in the morning on the 1st of November, Ericsson 4 crossed the finishing line in Cape Town and claimed victory on the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009.
On stepping ashore, skipper Torben Grael said: “It’s really fantastic to be here. It was a great trip with lots of speed and I am very happy with what we have achieved. I think we had PUMA in visual for about 70 per cent of the race and I am very glad that we were ahead at the scoring gate and at the finish. It feels great to win.”
Almost twelve hours later, Puma crossed the finishing line to claim second place.
“I don’t know where to start. I am so proud of our design team and our build team for putting together the boat. Honestly, I think all the guys on our boat have never pushed a boat that hard before. I am very proud of our sailors, our team as a whole, from the boat builders to the office staff”, said skipper Ken Read.
Early Sunday morning, almost 24 hours after the winner, Ericsson 3 arrived in Cape Town.
“I am very proud of the team,” said skipper Anders Lewander. “We have fought really hard and come back with great attitude. All the hours of preparation were worthwhile. We have had a lot of hard work, but we’ve got through and built on our spirit.”
Green Dragon claimed the final podium position on the first leg into Cape Town. Ian Walker's team finished about three hours behind Ericsson 3 but due to the Swedish boat's penalty, the Dragons will be recorded as third.
Follow the rest of the fleet on the Volvo Ocean Race official web site.