Sunday 12 July 2009 Dun Laoghaire’s west pier will be on standby to welcome home Ireland’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Green Dragon which completed 37,000 nm around the world over the last 9 months. Green Dragon one of four boats in the race to complete all legs in the ‘Everest of sailing’ visited ports including Alicante, Capetown, Kochi, Singapore, Qingdao, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Maarstrand, Stockholm and finishing in St Petersburg at the end of June. 

With just over 131 miles remaining on this leg the fleet are facing their final night onboard as they plot the route towards Marstrand in Sweden.  The fleet has undergone a compression throughout the day as the back of the fleet closed in on the front runners, but the re-shuffle continues and it will be a fight to the finish into the early hours of tomorrow morning.

It has been yet another good day for Green Dragon as they keep the pressure on and stay at the front with Ericsson 4 just four miles in front. Today saw the fleet exited the English Channel and head towards the Rotterdam Gate Race track where the fleet laid down some fast times for the rest of the world to take on when the loop opens to the public later today. 

Leg 8 continues to prove tricky as the fleet weaves its way through the English Channel, with tides, shipping and a peninsular or two to battle with along the way.  Green Dragon remains at the front just 2 miles to the stern of Telefonica Black, with 16 miles now splitting the fleet from front to back.

It has been a fast and furious start of Leg 8 as the fleet headed out of Galway and south towards the Fastnet Rock.  The fleet were racing south in 25 plus know conditions. Green Dragon chose a route further out to the west offshore which paid dividends as they approached the Fastnet Rock and found themselves in first place.  It was the home team led by Ian walker that led the fleet around the famous landmark, “it was a great thrill for the Green Dragon team to round the famous landmark and leave Ireland’s shores in first place,” commented skipper Ian Walker earlier today.