An unnamed Dutch sailor will join the crew, but it is not yet clear if the boat will complete all legs to Gothenburg.

The only certainty from skipper Grant Wharington was that the boat would be in Gothenburg.

The Australian/Dutch boat pulled into Melbourne’s Waterfront City just before 2300GMT local time, the fifth and last of the racing fleet to complete the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Cape Town. Ericsson and Brasil have both retired, the former with hydraulic keel ram failure – they returned to South Africa and have been shipped to Melbourne – the latter had returned for structural repairs and were then dismasted 1,500 miles off the Australian coast. Brasil 1 is making for Western Australia under power and jury rig are due in Fremantle mid week, though are currently skirting Tropical Storm Daryl which is heading their way.

Ericsson arrives on a container ship tomorrow. Brasil 1 will be road-freighted to Melbourne, where the In-Port race is scheduled for 4 February and the start of Leg 3 to Wellington on 12 February.

As Wharington sailed past Mornington, his home suburb, family and friends cheered him on, and ING Real Estate Brunel crossed the finish line at 08:42:44 local time, 2142GMT and44 seconds.

She arrived with the general expectation on the dock that no white knight had emerged to keep her in the race, the last of a series of sponsorship dramas for the boat, which only saw her start in Vigo at the 11th hour.

Then Wharington told a huge media pack at the dock that the listed Dutch company Brunel, which specializes in professional staffing, had decided to support the team on its own. At the same time, the company issued a press release from Amsterdam confirming the deal.

Wharington was unable to say whether the sponsorship covered all legs to the final destination in Gothenburg or whether the boat would start in Leg 3 to Wellington. That detail would emerge tomorrow.

“I am absolutely delighted that we can carry on, we have all worked so hard to get this far, and its just fantastic news,” he said.

Brunel board member Loek Hogenhout said that a Dutch sailor would be joining the crew. 'There are a few candidates, but again Grant will have the final word,” he said.

The inclusion of a Dutch sailor in the crew is a specific provision of the new contract. Brunel places professional staff in major projects, particularly mining and oil rigs; to people outside those industries, however, its name and role are largely unknown.

“The Dutch people told us that if we were to sponsor the boat, there had to be a Dutch sailor on board,” Hogenhout said. “That’s a powerful argument.”

Hogenhout stated that Brunel would fly out five unnamed, short-listed Dutch sailors to trial with the Wharington crew. Several had Volvo Ocean Race experience, while the others were experienced offshore sailors.

Wharington had specified he wanted the crew to participate in the choice. Hogenhout also said it was possible the crew would alternate in whatever legs the boat took part in.

One possible contender, and believed to be on the short list, is solo circumnavigator Mark Slats. In 2002 he also sailed from Brisbane to the Netherlands.

Wharington was ecstatic at the boat’s reception in Melbourne. Its passage from Cape Town had been followed closely by locals, particularly the major problems with the mainsail track, which meant that for a significant part of the race the sail could not be hoisted to its full height.

“To have such a reception from the public, family, media and friends, it’s just a buzz to be here,” Wharington said. “I have some exciting news to share with all of you that we are continuing on in the race.

“The exciting news is that Brunel has come to the party to sponsor us as our title sponsor for continuing on in the race and we are very excited about that news.

“We’re not sure about the details. We have a meeting about it this afternoon. We’ll be finalising all the details tomorrow.

“The boat is in fantastic shape. Structurally we have not had an issue. They are mainly cosmetic issues. We had a full mainsail for the last two weeks but we have some issues with the mainsail track. They are just minor things, but they all take time.”

Asked if the boat would be in Gothenburg, he said, “Yes, we’ll certainly be there for the end of the race. Whether we can do everything in between remains to be seen.

“The most important thing for us is to be in the best position to do the most legs we can in the best condition that we can.”

Brunel’s announcement meant that the seven boats that started the race from Vigo will continue on, hopefully all the way to the finish in Gothenburg.

Source: Event Media