March 24, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visited the Volvo Ocean Race Village and had the opportunity to view the team’s final preparations before tomorrow’s in-port race, in which she will participate.

HRH the Crown Princess Victoria is godmother to the Ericsson entry and tomorrow she will be a special guest onboard for the fourth in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06, which is expected to draw a large crowd both on and off the water.

“I think we can expect a huge turnout tomorrow for the in-port race and I think it will be the largest number of boats that the bay has ever seen,” commented local hero and skipper of Brasil 1, Torben Grael.

It is expected that the course will be set on Guanabara Bay, just offshore from the race village. Spectators will be treated to the site of six Volvo Open 70s in close combat.

The conditions for the teams will prove tricky as Grael explains: “This in-port race will be a bit different from the others that we have sailed as it will be incredibly hot. Also the geography of the bay is very specific with hills all around and it is very narrow. This will certainly keep the race interesting and it will be a great event.”

Overall race leader Mike Sanderson (NZL) commented: “I really have no idea to be honest on what to expect on Saturday. The forecast is looking a little shady. It would be nice if the sea breeze could kick in like it did today but thunderstorms are forecast which could throw a spanner in the works.”

ABN AMRO ONE has established a 14 point lead over second-placed ABN AMRO TWO and as skipper Sanderson explains it is just a question of consistency: “It is a matter of earning as many points as we can during the in-port race. We don’t need to win it but we certainly don’t want to come last, but if we do it will hopefully be because we have had light airs or it is not our day. We just have to go out, try and do a nice job and see what happens.”

Further down the leader board the points are very close and a tight battle is expected for the podium positions tomorrow. Sebastien Josse (FRA) and his young team on ABN AMRO TWO are in second place just four and a half points in front of third placed Pirates of the Caribbean skippered by Paul Cayard.

As Cayard explains, tomorrow could see some further shuffling of the leader board: “We have done well in all the in-ports and we hope to do the same tomorrow, but it looks like it could be the trickiest day of all the in-port races just because there is tidal current in this bay and high mountains round the side so the lighter it gets the trickier it could be here.”

The Spanish entry movistar is in fourth place overall, with just a two and a half point buffer to Brasil 1. Bouwe Bekking (NED) and his team have worked hard during the stopover to get the boat ready for the in-port race, after suffering damage in leg four, and will be hoping for a change of fortune in Rio.

Local hero’s Brasil 1 will be spurred on by the possibility of victory on their home waters. Grael has already proven he is one to watch in the light airs and with the advantage of local knowledge will be a strong contender.

John Kostecki (USA) will take the reins for the first time as skipper onboard Ericsson. Kostecki is confident that the weeks training in the bay along with a few crew changes will pay off: “We have been race training for the last couple of days and it has been going quite well. We have two changes to the crew for the in-port race and that is all shaping up nicely and we feel like we are ready to go. We have not made any huge, significant changes but we are just trying to chip away at everything and do an overall better job. Hopefully we can get a podium finish.”

The one thing that does seem predictable is that it will be a hotly contested race as Kostecki suggests: “The racing is getting really competitive. Some of the best skippers in the world are involved and the crews are all top level which will provide some exciting racing for the public and also for us.”

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