Brunel skippered by Britain’s Matt Humphries beat Ericsson into Goteborg, Sweden this afternoon to score their best result in the Volvo Ocean Race when they finished in fourth position on this leg at 15:26:48 GMT.

Brunel missed the Southern Ocean legs of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 after the team temporarily withdrew in order to give the boat a substantial refit. With her new modifications and some adjustments to the crew, this team, which was hampered at the start by lack of funds and time on the water, has now proved competitive.

Matthew Humphries said:

“We were hoping for third, but got ourselves into some conditions that did not suit the boat. We just wanted to show that we could get the boat going.

“Fourth place is a spectacular result. The amount of work that has been done on the boat is unbelievable. It is nice to finish in front of the overall race winner and it feels fantastic to have beaten Ericsson into their home port.

“The guys have done a tremendous job. We are tired but it has been a great few days. We know that fourth is only beating two other boats, but for us, we are very happy.”

Ericsson, skippered by fellow Brit, Neal McDonald, started the Volvo Ocean Race with a sparkling win in the first in-port race in Sanxenxo, Galicia, Spain at the beginning of the event, but it was only on leg seven that the team claimed their first podium position when they finished second across the Atlantic from New York to Portsmouth, UK. They followed this with a third on leg eight around Britain and Ireland, having seemed to have found their form at last. Goteborg is Ericsson’s home port and the team will be disappointed not to be on the podium here in Sweden.

“It was a really frustrating leg. I will take away lots of great experiences from this race. We’ve had a great team and really great sponsors,” said Neal McDonald

“It has been a real roller coaster ride. It is a wonderful feeling to be home and to see so many people come out to cheer us in,” added the only Swede in the race, Maxnus Woxen.

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