Signed, sealed, delivered

Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race

We had a goal for the campaign and we have reached the goal. It was hard. This is a very hard race and you have to work for what you want...

Tuesday, 16 June 2009, 02:15 GMT

By Riath Al-Samarrai

It has been 354 days since a smashed bottle of champagne christened Ericsson 4 and tonight, as another was sprayed, their highly ambitious mission was declared a success. Torben Grael's crew are the provisional winners of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Such are sailing's quirks, a protest of some sort could be filed to delay the coronation, but, with no indication of that eventuality, the mathematics of the leaderboard tell the story: they are 13 points clear of second-placed PUMA with only 12 left to fight for.

It was all the reassurance the crew needed as they stepped onto the dock in Sandhamn, the third quickest across the 525-nautical mile leg nine course from Marstrand.

"I couldn't feel any better," said Torben Grael, their skipper. He has now added this crown to the five Olympic medals that already made him the most decorated sailor in Games history.

"It is very hard to compare the two," he added. "It feels equally good but it is just different. It is a wonderful sport because you can do so many different types of sailing. I feel very happy with what we have done here.

"We had a goal for the campaign and we have reached the goal. It was hard. This is a very hard race and you have to work for what you want. We have worked hard and this is the result we have all put a lot of effort for. It feels very nice."

The verdict from his rivals on dockside supplemented the general feeling that Grael's crew are worthy winners after 37,000 miles of racing.

"They have, simply, been better than all of us," said PUMA skipper Ken Read.

The scoreboard attests that. They shot out of the blocks, winning the first two legs - all three teams to previously achieve that have gone on to win the event - before claiming podiums at two of the next three. Thereafter, they turned the afterburners on and scorched to wins in three of the last four legs, slamming the door shut against the chasing pack. Among it all, they even set a new 24-hour world record for distance travelled in a monohull.

"We have had ups and downs," said watch leader Stu Banatynne. "It has been really tough. The racing has been close; there's not much between the boats at all.

"But we have been consistent and not panicked. We have been able to push the boat when we needed to because we had such a good preparation and we have had good results.

"Preparation, that's what it comes down to. Ericsson committed very early to doing this; we had good funding, got the right people, experienced people, and from there all the right decisions were made.

"The number one goal has been to win this race and now we can relax more and enjoy ourselves because that is what we have done."

Dave Endean, a runaway winner on ABN AMRO ONE in the last race, added: "This one was probably tougher in terms of the competition. The boats are more even and having less problems and we have had to fight for everything.

"It feels great to have crossed that line. You can't afford to take things for granted in this sport and we haven't. We have worked hard for this."

For English navigator Jules Salter, the result is the realisation of a long-standing dream.

"This is probably the biggest win for me for sure.

"We were second in the last race and I had a really fortunate debut in it. This time things have just gone right; good campaign with a good boat.

"I have wanted to do the race since being a five or six-year-old and watched the boats finish in Portsmouth. To win has been an ambition since I was 13 or 14 and reading a book by someone who is helping me in this race right now, Mike Quilter (the team's navigation coach).

"I feel extremely happy."

As did Brad Jackson. And Joao Signorini, Tony Mutter, Horacio Carabelli, Ryan Godfrey, Phil Jameson and Guy Salter.

Now talk has turned to what remains.

"We might relax a bit now," Mutter said. "Bring a barbeque, fridge, some beers on the next leg!

"Winning this race is all we wanted to do. It has been our common goal from the start and it just feels great that after all these miles we've done it."