Sunday 21 June 2009

VOR: Ericsson Racing Team Prepare for Stockholm In-Port Race


Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 during the City Sprint race. Image copyright Oskat Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team.

by Victoria Low

Ericsson Racing Team's two yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race are set for tomorrow's scheduled Stockholm In-Port Race.

Ericsson 4, skippered by Brazilian Torben Grael, has clinched overall honors in the 37,000-nautical mile race. The International crew placed third on Leg 9 into Stockholm to give it an unassailable lead. Ericsson 4 can clinch second overall for the In-Port Series with a solid showing tomorrow.


Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 arriving into Stockholm. Image copyright Oskar Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team.

"We're all very competitive so we'll be trying 100 percent," said Ericsson 4 mainsail trimmer Brad Jackson. "It's never nice to get beat."

Teammate Ericsson 3 is placed fourth overall on the leaderboard and tomorrow will be battling for pride. Skipper Magnus Olsson was unequivocal in expressing his expectations for tomorrow.

"I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself and the crew," said the 60-year-old from Stockholm. "We have to do very well and want to do very well. I think we can do very well."


Ericsson 3 battles upwind, surrounded by boats, during the City Sprint race. Image copyright Oskar Kihlborg/Ericsson Racing Team.

Tomorrow's racing is slated for Kanholmsfjärden on Stockholm's outer archipelago inside Sandhamn, where Leg 9 finished. The weather is expected to be light and shifty, a familiar pattern for the in-port races. Team meteorologist Chris Bedford is forecasting winds less than 10 knots for much of the day.

Ericsson Racing Team
Volvo Ocean Race

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