Volvo Ocean Race - 18 mins between top three into Boston

11:01 PM Sun 26 Apr 2009 GMT

'Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael (BRA) at the start of leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race' Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race &copy Click Here to view large photo

The top three boats finished Leg 6 of the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean race , all inside an amazing 18 minutes after the 4900 nautical miles of racing.

The finishing times for the top three in leg six:
Ericsson 4 - 21:05:10 GMT
Ericsson 3 - 21:17:58 GMT
Telefonica Blue - 21:23:02 GMT

That expected cold front arrived a little later than expected and whipped up the winds in Boston Harbor just as Ericsson 4 was finishing. Suddenly, hot on the heels of Ericsson 4 crossing the line were sistership Ericsson 3 and Telefonica Blue. The three boats all finished within just 18 minutes. It would have been even closer if Telefonica Blue hadn't broached half a mile from the finish line. Skipper Bouwe Bekking then elected to drop the headsail and the team finished under mainsail alone.

Torben Grael, skipper of Ericsson 4, speaking dockside: 'It feels fantastic. I think we had a very good leg. We were always very close to the other boats, even Delta Lloyd sailed a fantastic leg.

'I think it was very important - a key position - when we gybed a few days ago. After that, there wasn't many transitions there. We just managed to keep the front, which was not easy. Even here at the end, when it looked like it was alright, winds were very light with the seabreeze fighting the land breeze.

'So it was a very hard job. But a very good result for us. It couldn't be better. It's one more step towards our objective. Normally, regattas in the States give me luck. This is another one of them.'

by VOR Media

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Volvo Ocean Race - 18 mins between top three into Boston

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