Avast behind! Word reaches Biglorryblog that 'heads turned' recently in the heart of old Stockholm as the latest Ericsson Volvo Open 70 yacht was hauled through the town by a new flagship Volvo FH16. Blimey it must have been a high-tide then to end up in the middle of the city!
Fortunately, Christina Ohlsson-Jones, the lady responsible for the Volvo Ocean Race at Volvo Trucks.tells Biglorryblog to 'Calm down Dear...it's only a corporate sponsorship opportunity ....' that and the fact that "Ericsson is putting a massive effort into the Volvo Ocean Race. For us organisers it feels good to be able to assist with the transportation of their yacht. It is also a great opportunity for us to show off our brand new truck too." And why not? The Fh16.660 is the perfect Viking long-boat hauler...Now click through here for more.
And here it is side-ways on...Meanwhile, I understand that Ericsson has built both their yachts at a special boat yard next to their Head Office at Kista, Sweden. The first one left Sweden some time ago and is going through tough sailing and tests at sea off Lanzarote, where Ericsson has established a training camp for its two crews. The new boat, Ericsson 4, left the boat yard at Kista last Friday and will now be put in the water in Stockholm.
The transport of the 20m long/5m wide yacht was certainly an impressive sight. "We chose a Volvo FH16 for this job as it is our strongest and toughest truck model. The driver was also carefully selected for this important task," Mizz Ohlsson-Jones tells me. "Through the Volvo Ocean Race, Volvo and all that the Volvo brand stands for,will be noticed all over the world. Ocean racing is an extreme sport which is founded on professionalism, co-operation, team work and the courage to stretch things to their absolute limit - all the time keeping safety in focus." And the trucks not bad either eh...?