Volvo Ocean Race, Green Dragon

Volvo Ocean Race, Green Dragon, originally uploaded by infomatique.

Green Dragon Racing team competed in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race. The team was captained by Ian Walker and finished the race in fifth place over all, scoring 63 points. The boat was designed by Reichel Pugh and built by McConaghy Boats.

Sunday 12 July 2009 Dun Laoghaire’s west pier welcomed home Ireland’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Green Dragon which completed 37,000 nm around the world over the last 9 months.

The 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race was a yacht race held between October 4, 2008, and June 27, 2009 – the 10th edition of the round the world Volvo Ocean Race.

The eight participating boats made ten stops in nine countries around the world. The first offshore leg of the 2008–09 Race started in Alicante, Spain, on October 11, 2008, with the in-port race having been held seven days earlier. A total of ten legs created the route, with seven in-port (IP) races held at various cities around the world. The boats covered 37,000 nautical miles in the course of their journey. The chief executive of the 08–09 race was Knut Frostad.

On June 15, 2009, Ericsson 4, skippered by Torben Grael, finished third on leg 9 from Marstrand to Stockholm, Sweden. With their third place finish, they were able to secure overall victory. Ericsson 4 covered the 42,500 miles of the race in a time of 127 days, 7 hours, 46 minutes, 21 seconds. Ericsson 4 completed the race with 114 ½ points, whilst Puma ended with 105 ½. Afterwards Kochi was described as a "memorable" port but Galway was the best.