7 May 2006, Annapolis, Maryland (USA) - Leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race kicked off today; a 400 nautical mile sprint from Annapolis to New York. Ericsson is currently in the leading group, 1 mile behind the leader. The first 120 miles out of the Chesapeake will be critical, as there may be very few passing opportunities once the competitors exit the Bay. The yachts are expected to cross the finish line off Manhattan, New York, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The Volvo Ocean Race teams received a terrific send off as they departed the Annapolis dock this morning. Leg six started in light conditions at 13.00 local time, and the fleet headed upwind to a turning mark off the Bay Bridge.

“Unfortunately, we broke a grinderbelt on the first critical tack, which put a us a little behind initially, but we have fought back hard”, explains Ericsson navigator Mark Rudiger.

After rounding the windward mark in sixth, Ericsson quickly climbed back up through the fleet, overtaking ABN Amro One and Two as the boats headed downwind. The battle is on to be the first out of the Bay. By the time they get there they should meet a new weather system, as a cold front is developing from the south. The wind will blow from the north and is expected to reach 30 knots. This means that the conditions will be fairly brutal, as the boats will be bouncing into the waves.

Ericsson is currently sailing in fourth place controlling ABN Amro Two and Brunel, and hot on the heals of Brasil 1. Pirates of the Caribbean and movistar lead.

“What a send off we received today as we headed out of the Chesapeake,” comments navigator Mark Rudiger (USA). “A big thank you to everyone in both Baltimore and Annapolis for making this such a fantastic stopover. The atmosphere was electric this morning as we left the dock - the waterfront buzzing with life and so many spectator boats here to wave us off.”

Leg six of the Volvo Ocean Race is the shortest of all the legs in this race and with a rhumb line course that keeps the boats nearly in sight of shore, it will be sailed more like a long in-port race than a short offshore leg. The forecast for tonight is 30 knots of northerly breeze, so the sailors are in for a rough ride, with the wind on the nose and very little sleep.

On arrival in New York, the fleet will have a short “pit stop”, before embarking on leg seven on 11 May. This 3200 nm leg will take the fleet across the Atlantic to Portsmouth, UK, not far from where Ericsson was built.

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