With the ninth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race complete, Ericsson 4 is the winner of the round–the-world title after winning 5 of the 9 legs. A final leg and an in port race remain to be run; the results of those events will determine second place. For Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael, the victory was all the sweeter since he came in third skippering Brasil 1 the last time he participated in the Volvo Ocean Race. Grael is a five-time Olympic Gold Medalist and sailed with the same 11-member crew throughout the entire race.

“We are finishing Ericsson 4′s circumnavigation,” Grael said after finishing leg 9 in Stockholm in third place behind American boat PUMA and Ericsson 3. “The boat was built here and left here nearly a year ago, so she’s back after sailing around the world and winning the race. It couldn’t be any better. We have a wonderful crew with a lot of experience.”

Leg 7 of the Volvo Ocean Race completed on May 24. The transatlantic crossing race from Boston to Galway was won by Ericsson 4, which is the current overall leader. Next is Leg 8, starting on June 6 in Galway and finishing in Marstrand, Sweden. The entire event finishes in St. Petersburg on June 25.

In first place is Ericsson 4, with Telefonica Blue and PUMA Ocean Racing in second and third. All of the boats are in good shape due to an easier than expected Leg 6 from Rio de Janeiro. Following their stay in Boston, the yachts head out on May 16 across the Atlantic to Galway, Scotland for Leg 7. Read more on the Volvo Ocean Race website.

The Volvo Ocean Race has been called the “Everest of Sailing”.  Held every three years and currently underway, the race takes place over nine months.  Seven teams with 11 crew members each started in Alicante, Spain last October and will complete the race in St. Petersburg, Russia in June.  The race covers over 37,000 nautical miles, traversing the world’s most dangerous seas over the course of ten legs between Cape Town (South Africa), Kochi (India), Singapore (China), Qingdao (China), rounding Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and then onto Boston (U.S.A.), Galway (Ireland), Goteborg (Sweden), Stockholm (Sweden) and the finish at St. Petersburg.

The race is a blend of world class sailing competition and cutting edge adventure.  Onshore glamour is contrasted with offshore life-and-death drama.  This is one of the most dangerous team competitions in the world.  Over two billion people are expected to watch televised reports on the race before its finish.

On March 17, team Ericsson 3 led the race around Cape Horn, followed by team Ericsson 4. The conditions were milder than expected.  The lighthouse at Cape Horn is the first sign of civilization for the teams after a month at sea.  Leg 5 of the race finishes up with a sprint to Rio de Janeiro.

Visit the Volvo Ocean Race website for more information.