26.06.09

Leg Ten Day 2

ERICSSON 4 LEG TEN DAY 2 QFB: received 26.06.09 1520 GMT

It's sunny it's calm were going over 11 kts but still it isn’t enough for the Ericsson 4 posse!

We can see the first four boats ahead - but by a fair margin and we can just make out the boats chasing behind. It's pretty dull onboard today - nothing really to fight for. I said we wouldn’t ever be able to cruise this boat - and we are not, but it does feel a lot like a delivery at the moment. Sleeping is easy and aided by a bottle of port we have had with lunch to celebrate the 1st birthday of the thoroughbred - or best of breed in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. Yes the mighty Ericsson 4 is one today and it transpires that we have almost (within a couple of hundred) achieved 50,000nm in the girl!

That would be an extreme total of miles for a travelling carpet salesman in his Ford Mondeo or whatever is the vehicle of choice of those who wear suits and live off food from motorway service stations. Whilst bedding down in travel inns for the majority of their working week.

Ericsson 4 has served us very well and we hope we can finish off the last 100 in a respectful manner deserved of a true world-class champion, which is what this yacht is

Good job Ericsson 4 - the pleasure has been all of ours - Happy birthday

Guy Salter - MCM