The banner for the Outimage coverage of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008 - 2009.

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Outimage Publications ocean yacht racing coverage of the VOR 2008-2009.
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Sunrise Finish For Ericsson 3
06:43 GMT Monday, November 3, 2008.
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Ericsson 3, skippered by Sweden's Anders Lewander crossed the finish line at 04:08 GMT (06:08 local time) today, after 22 days, 16 hours 08 mins and 50 secs at sea. She is the third boat to arrive in Cape Town at the end of the 6,500 nautical mile leg, which started from Alicante in Spain on October 11. Her stablemate, Ericsson 4, is already in Cape Town and flying the leg winner's flag and leading the race overall.
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Dave Kneale - Volvo Ocean Race.
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"I am very proud of the team," said skipper Anders Lewander. "It is fantastic coming to Cape Town: what an achievement for us. We have fought really hard and come back with great attitude. All the hours of preparation were worthwhile. We have had a lot of hard work, but we've got through and built on our spirit."
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Dave Kneale - Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ericsson 3 is sailed by an all-Nordic crew, with one exception. Watch captain Richard Mason from New Zealand, although Mason has lived in Sweden for a number of years. Mason has done this race twice before and his counterpart on the other watch, veteran sailor, Magnus Olsson, is on his sixth lap of the planet. The duo brings vast experience and knowledge to balance the youthful enthusiasm of the rest of the crew, a cocktail that has been clearly proven by the team's outstanding performance on this leg.
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Dave Kneale - Volvo Ocean Race.
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Speaking about the tough conditions the crew faced, watch captain Magnus Olsson said in his usual upbeat way. "We all love those conditions, that is the reason we do this. You don't need to sleep, you can't sleep. It is so fun, you don't know where you are, water everywhere, the boat is going so fast and you don't know if you are going to die or survive. It's fantastic."
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Dave Kneale - Volvo Ocean Race.
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At the start of leg, Ericsson 3 led the fleet, with Ericsson 4, through the Straits of Gibraltar. Going straight between the middle of the Cape Verde islands, the Nordic-crewed boat then had a challenging passage through the Doldrums before having to stop briefly at the scoring gate in Brazil for a spare part.
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson - Volvo Ocean Race.
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When 40 knot gales were forecast, on day 16, 26 October, Eivind Melleby the Norwegian helmsman said, "We will have to hold on tight and keep the crew and equipment in once piece." Navigator Aksel Magdahl, also a Norwegian, added, "We will just do it our way and see how good that is. I am sure some of the more experienced teams will push hard, but we will set our own pace. We will give it our best."
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Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 3 are the third boat into Cape Town on leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson - Volvo Ocean Race.
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Day 19 caused the experienced Richard Mason to exclaim, "The worst watch of my life. We were in a squall for four hours and it was pitch black, absolutely no visibility at all. I couldn't see the waves and no horizon. We had everything from 19 - 46 knots of wind," he said. "Going with the chute up in that much breeze on one of these boats, when you can't see a thing, is as terrifying as it gets. It just doesn't get any harder than it was tonight. The guys did a great job to get the boat and ourselves through it in once piece," he said.
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A double celebration for skipper Anders Lewnader as he celebrates his birthday.

Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.

A double celebration for skipper Anders Lewnader as he celebrates his birthday. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson - Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ericsson 3 went into battle with the wounded Green Dragon on day 20 (30 October) and finally overhauled them, but the Dragons were constantly breathing fire. By day 23, the strain was beginning to show. "Everything is getting to its edge. The situation feels close and stressful," said MCM Gustav Morin. A couple of bad sail changes slowed Ericsson 3 down, and a plastic bag caught around the keel did not help matters. But Nordic team pressed on and were delighted to finish 27 nm ahead of Ian Walker and the Green Dragon.
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Crew of Ericsson 3 get a blast of champagne in Cape Town.

Photo © Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race.

Crew of Ericsson 3 get a blast of champagne in Cape Town. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson - Volvo Ocean Race.
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Ericsson 3 is the third boat to arrive in Cape Town and will score four leg points, taking into account the earlier measurement penalty imposed by the International Jury in October (for racing while her keel was not rule-compliant, see http://noticeboard.volvooceanrace.org/?p=315).

According to the ruling, Ericsson 3 will have two points docked from her leg one score of six. One point was previously deducted from her point total at the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha as well as from the in-port race in Alicante.

On current form, the next boat to finish will be Green Dragon, in approximately 90 minutes.

Leg One Finishing Order into Cape Town

1. Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael / BRA)
2. PUMA USA (Ken Read / USA)
3. Ericsson 3 SWE (Anders Lewander / SWE)

Overall Leaderboard (Provisional) - following the first three finishes

1. Ericsson 4: 14 points (FINISHED)
2. PUMA : 13 points (FINISHED)
3. Telefónica Blue: 6 points (RACING)
4. Telefónica Black: 6 points (RACING)
5. Green Dragon: 6 points (RACING)
6. Ericsson 3: 5 points (FINISHED)
7. Delta Lloyd: 2 points (RACING)
8. Team Russia: 1 point (RACING)

Visit www.volvooceanrace.org for all the latest news!
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The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008 with in-port racing, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race.

Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, stopping at 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.
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The official website: www.volvooceanrace.org
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