Honorary Swede

Richard Mason joins Ericsson Racing Team's Nordic crew

The puzzle is almost complete for Ericsson Racing Team's Nordic crew, with the formal appointment by skipper Anders Lewander of Richard Mason as part of the crew. Mason, who is based in Stockholm, will join the crew as Watch Captain for his third Volvo Ocean Race.

The Nordic crew also includes Magnus Olsson, who was announced by the team last month and Mason's appointment will further bolster the experience on this Nordic crewed boat.

"We were looking for a sailor with Richard Mason's profile to join the Nordic crew," said Lewander. "It then dawned on us that we didn't need someone like Richard Mason - we simply wanted him! Richard's experience in this race will be invaluable to us and coupled to the fact that he has sailed with Magnus [Olsson] previously, this will add formidable strength to our already very competitive team."

Mason had previously been part of the International crew for Ericsson Racing Team and has been training with the team at their base in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. He lives with his Swedish wife, Caroline and their two daughters just outside Stockholm and is truly a multi national sailor. Australian by birth he was raised in New Zealand and also holds a British passport.

"I'm really looking forward to this," said Mason. "I work very well with Anders and the entire Nordic crew. And Magnus Olsson is the reason I came to Sweden initially. It's great sailing with Magnus, especially going around the world. It's a long journey and it means a great deal to have a happy, positive and capable man on board."

Despite his 33 years, Mason has extensive experience as an off-shore competitive sailor. His first Volvo Ocean Race was with Assa Abloy, finishing second in 2001-2002. He was on board Ericsson Racing Team, which came in fifth in the last edition of the race.

This time, Mason thinks the competition will be tougher and tighter than it was last edition. The VO70 class has matured and details on the boats have been improved and refined.

"This is a ground breaking event in many ways," says Mason. "With each edition the Volvo Ocean Race rewrites the rules a bit more. This time the race will be going into, almost literally, uncharted waters, and the inclusion of a specific Media Crew Member will mean that the race is opened up to a much wider public. Big Brother in the Southern Ocean - now that will make for interesting viewing!"