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Fiesta Time in Galway

The Irish city of Galway made it a memorable debut for Ireland as six-figure crowds celebrated is style as the Volvo Ocean Race came calling.

Although Ireland has a long and proud history in the Volvo Ocean Race, until the 2008 / 2009 edition of the toughest, roughest race on earth, the ‘Emerald Isle’ had never featured on the route map.

But this year, with the leading two boats built by Irishman Killian Bushe, the Irish – Chinese boat Green Dragon, with three Irishmen, Ian Moore, Damian Foxall and Justin Slattery on board, Galway joined the select band of ports to host a Volvo Ocean Race stopover, and what an occasion it was.

Thousands of locals were on hand in the early hours of the morning to welcome Ericsson 4 into port as she won the seventh leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Boston, then crowds in excess of 50,000 flocked to the dockside for the in-port and pro-am races.

“Usually when you dock in the middle of the night, there are some media, race officials, friends and family,” observed Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael, adding, “In Galway, it seemed as if half the city had stayed up all night to give us a real Irish welcome.”

And, in the searing heat of the middle weekend, throngs of spectators on the quayside stood 10-deep as the fleet left port for the Saturday in-port race and Sunday’s pro-am, causing mastermind of the Galway stopover Jamie Boag to purr with delight.

“The sailors, from those on the ‘home’ boat Green Dragon to those on the other six Volvo Open 70s have enjoyed such an emotional welcome in Galway,” said Boag, husband of double Olympic gold medal sailor and Team Volvo for Life ambassador Shirley Robertson, adding, “For the race, the teams, Ireland and the City of Galway, this stopover has been an unqualified success.”

Race CEO Knut Frostad agreed, commenting, “It has been amazing, Galway has taken the Volvo Ocean Race to its heart is a clear demonstration of small but enthusiastic port city can benefit both the race, its citizens and local economy.”

The Volvo Ocean Race fleet leaves Galway on 6^th June for the 1.250nm eighth leg bound for Marstrand in Sweden and tens of thousands of well-wishers are sure to line the dockside with a fond farewell from Galway and Ireland in what has been a tumultuous stopover.