Tributes to Ericsson 4 have been pouring in from rival skippers and sailors after Torben Grael's formidable team claimed the Volvo Ocean Race with an in-port race and leg still remaining.

Torben Grael's crew established a 13-point lead on PUMA with just 12 to let after Tuesday night's third-place finish in leg nine from Galway to the Swedish port of Marstrand and Sandhamn, an island near Stockholm.

It was their 18th top three spot from 22 scoring opportunities, but the brilliance of their results lies in the details.