Dear All

This really cold evening, reaching on port, we on Telefónica Black have just seen Almagrundet lighthouse blinking straight ahead, the first rounding mark before the finish. The water is very cold for the season, only 9 degrees Celsius and I apologize to my shipmates for not being able to offer a warmer welcome to the Swedish east coast.

Well before The Sound, Oresund, yesterday, we lost our second place to Ericsson 4 on pure boatspeed. Coming into Oresund, Ericsson 3 was very close on our heels. At the southwest tip of Sweden, Falsterbo rev, we hoisted our big downwind gennaker and soon Ericsson 3 passed us on pure boat speed. Very frustrating even if it was not for the first time in this Volvo Ocean Race.

The speed race continued and Green Dragon and Delta Lloyd came very close just before we arrived to Olands Sodra Udde. From there we had tighter wind angle for a while and could hold Dragon and Delta off, but the frontrunners Puma, Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3 disappeared to the North.

After passing a small through line, like a mini Low, we came out well on Dragon and Delta and are in fourth place when making the last few miles to the well-known lighthouse on the bow.

It feels fantastic that the Volvo Ocean Race is coming to Stockholm. In my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined that to happen when I sailed my first Whitbread 1981. Not even when we finished the successful The Card project in 1990 was that a realistic thought. But, here we are, seven Volvo Ocean Race boats finishing in Sandhamn this chilly evening in June...Fantastic!

Yours
Roger Nilson - navigator