Volvo Ocean Race winner and 24hr record holder on the market for the first time in 12 years

Volvo Ocean Race winner and 24hr record holder on the market for the first time in 12 years

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz 3 Jun 14:05 BST

Ericsson 4 is widely regarded as one of the most successful and enduring Volvo Open 70 yachts. Her career spans a Volvo Ocean Race victory, several record-setting performances, and continued relevance in high-level offshore racing.

The Torben Grael skippered winner of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, Ericsson 4, now racing as L4, is offered for sale.

A combination of proven design, competitive history, and ongoing optimisation is why the boat is still treated as an important reference point in modern offshore monohull racing

Launched in 2008 as Ericsson 4, the VO70 was the final part of a two-boat Ericsson-backed campaign that went on to win the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race.

Ericsson 4 was the more refined outcome of an extended research and development effort that followed earlier design lessons from the 2004/05 Volvo Ocean Race winner, ABN Amro. Ericsson 4 was the final, more fully optimised version of the team’s Volvo Open 70 concept. The boat was built at Ericsson’s custom facility in Stockholm under the oversight of top builder Killian Bushe.

This Volvo Open 70, designed by Juan-K, is the last of her genre available. Two have been sold to new owners in recent months and will chase race records and overall wins on the Mediterranean and European offshore circuits.

The other VO70s have all successfully transitioned from Round-the-World racers to dominate the world’s classic ocean races. The popularity of the genre lies in its ability to tolerate rig refits without the need for structural change, along with the versatility to be a line honours and race records contender, as well as having a strong chance of an overall win.

A VO70 can also gain substantial benefits from gradual IRC optimisation, mainly in its sail plan, as it transitions from the original Volvo OR sail inventory to IRC-optimised sails, turning the boat into a “ratings bandit”.

In the 2022 RORC Transatlantic Race, powered by Doyle Sails, L4 finished in second place over the line for the monohulls, behind the super maxi Comanche, and was the first of three 70-foot ocean racers in the event.

L4’s most recent racing success was in the 2025 Sandberg Palma Vela, a prestigious Mediterranean event sailed in late April and early May 2025. The VO70 claimed line honours in the 235nm offshore race, finishing more than seven hours ahead of the next boat, a Botín 65.

In July 2024, L4 raced in the Aegean 600, finishing second in the Maxi division under IRC corrected time, and fifth on IRC.

Initially, the VO70 was kept in its VOR race-winning configuration, but before competing in the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race Legends Regatta (which she won), L4 received a refit overseen by her original designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian.

Following that race and the downtime of the 2020-21 pandemic, owner Jørn Larsen and boat captain Jens Dolmer decided to drastically upgrade, or turbo L4, to keep the VO70 competitive against newer generations of offshore maxis.

Dolmer has been managing the L4 program since 2014. He is a veteran of the Volvo Ocean Race, having competed in three editions, sailing on Ericsson 3 (2008–09). He was a core crew member on Team Brunel for both the 2014–15 and 2017–18 campaigns, sailing with veteran skipper Bouwe Bekking.

Dolmer was also part of the Swedish Victory Challenge syndicate during the 2005–2007 America’s Cup cycle in Valencia.

During the extensive 2020–2021 refit, the team lengthened the bowsprit and added completely retractable lateral foils. The foils were repurposed from a set originally built for Emirates Team New Zealand’s foiling catamaran before being grafted into the hull of L4.

L4 debuted her new foiling configuration during the 2021 European summer offshore season, immediately proving the concept by setting a new course record at the 2021 Palma Vela La Larga race and hitting top speeds above VO70 targets on reaching angles.

Skippered by five-time Olympic medallist Torben Grael, Ericsson 4 won the 2008–09 Volvo Ocean Race with a leg to spare. Ericsson also set a monohull 24-hour distance record during that era, reinforcing its reputation as one of the standout Volvo 70s ever built.

L4’s record of 596.60 nm was only broken in 2015 by the 100ft super maxi Comanche, which broke off from a trans-Atlantic race to take advantage of a favourable weather window to set a record and break Ericsson 4’s long-standing mark.

After the 2008/9 Volvo Ocean Race, Ericsson 4 was purchased by the highly successful French Groupama team as a training boat and sailed as Groupama 70 ahead of the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race, which Franck Cammas and his team won in the VO70 Groupama 4.

Groupama 70 was purchased by the current owner in 2014 and renamed as L4.

For a buyer seeking serious offshore performance, L4 offers a combination of pedigree, pace, and proven competitiveness. Today, that heritage translates into something even more compelling: an opportunity to acquire a race-proven 70-footer that remains relevant in modern offshore competition.

L4 is regarded as one of only a handful of Volvo Open 70s still considered capable of contending for major offshore honours, with the design pedigree and build quality to remain highly relevant on today’s race circuits.

Designed to the VO70 class rule, Ericsson 4 was conceived without compromise to win the 2008/09 Volvo Ocean Race, a goal that was achieved with a leg of the race to spare, and set a 24hr monohull distance record that stood for seven years.

As L4, she continues to be a yacht created for high-speed offshore work at the highest level, and offers a compelling next chapter for a new ownership team.

The Juan-K office has a list ready of potential IRC optimisation refit to make her a 2027 potential winner of any Classic offshore races.

Key Points:

• A Volvo Ocean Race-winning yacht with a proven place in modern offshore racing history.
• Designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and developed as the refined, race-winning version of Ericsson Racing Team’s Volvo 70 programme.
• One of the few Volvo Open 70s still regarded as genuinely competitive for major offshore events.
• Built in pre-preg carbon with canting keel, water ballast, and a specification focused entirely on elite performance by one of the best recognized builders.
• Successfully updated under L4 ownership, with modifications that improved speed and kept the boat relevant in contemporary competition.
• Strong later results, including a standout performance in the 2022 RORC Transatlantic Race.
• Offers immediate credibility and capability for a private owner, syndicate, or sponsored campaign.
• Designed to the VO70 Class Rule: 21.5 metres overall, with a 5.7-metre beam, a 4.5-metre draft, pre-preg carbon construction, canting keel, and water ballast.
• Current specification includes a Volvo Penta D2 75 hp engine, retractable propeller, and substantial sail area, but not yet optimised for IRC racing.
• You have a rare chance to acquire a boat that combines historic pedigree, current pace, and strong brand recognition.