The Ericsson Racing Team finished third in the Rio de Janeiro in-port race, behind ABN Amro One and movistar. The team was joined by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, godmother of the Ericsson yacht, as onboard guest during the race.

The fourth in-port regatta of the Volvo Ocean Race started at 13.00 local time in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro (BRA). Conditions were perfect, with a southerly breeze of 12 knots building to 16 knots by the end of the afternoon.

This race was the first under American John Kostecki’s leadership. Kostecki, also inshore tactician, commented: “It was a fun race with a lot of position changes. You could feel a lot of energy in all the boats; it was the most enjoyable out of all the in-port races so far.”

A few seconds before the start of the race, Ericsson’s keel got momentarily blocked - a late consequence of the lightning that struck the boat just before the arrival in Rio. “We didn’t have such a good start because of this,” commented Neal McDonald. “From then on we kept battling and fighting our way back.”

Despite the late start, Ericsson had a good speed over the line. She benefited from fresh wind and good shifts, reaching the top mark close behind Pirates of the Caribbean and movistar, in fifth place. Brasil 1 rounded second after ABN Amro One, but had to perform a 360 degree penalty turn for obstructing the following boats. The six VO 70’s headed downwind on the first of four windward-leeward legs. ABN Amro One led throughout the race, whilst positions amongst the rest of the fleet changed continuously.

Pirates of the Caribbean twisted its genoa at the beginning of the third beat, allowing Ericsson to pass and move into third. Next it was ABN Amro Two that was punished for touching the leeward mark on the final rounding. The team performed a 360 degree turn and from then on Ericsson covered the rest of the fleet and held onto third place. A hard fought battle concluded with ABN Amro One the clear winner, movistar second and Ericsson third, earning the team a strongly desired place on the podium.

The previous legs of the Volvo Ocean Race have been tough for the Ericsson Racing Team. It arrived into Rio in a disappointing fifth place, and has a lot to do in order to move up the leaderboard. Today was a great day of racing, and initial signs following the changes that have been made are encouraging.

“It was a difficult race because the course was quite short,” commented McDonald; “the sort of race where whoever makes the least mistakes gets to the front of the fleet. We made fewer mistakes than others and finished third.” His team mate Guillermo Altadill (ESP) added: “We managed to keep it simple, and anticipated the maneuvers well. Thanks to this, we were able to catch up well.”

All crewmembers acknowledged the fact that the crew work was efficient and proved key to today’s result. “The only changes to the usual set up were that Ross Halcrow (NZL) was trimming and Dingo was on the bow”, explains McDonald. “So despite Roscoe, who fitted in easily, we were used to this setup.”

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden was the team’s onboard guest. After enjoying lunch with the sailors at the Ericsson Racing Team compound yesterday, climbing onboard today made her feel even closer to the crew. “It was terribly exciting,” said The Crown Princess, “and I was very impressed with the guys. I expected their work to be hard, but not to this level. The interaction between crewmembers, and the way they work as a team is very spectacular to watch from onboard.”

Now is time to turn a new page. “We have a lot of work ahead of us”, confesses John Kostecki. “We had a little problem with our keel and the electronics didn’t work properly, so we are far from ready for the offshore.”

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