ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The first all-female crew to sail the Volvo Ocean Race in 12 years - Team SCA - successfully completed their nine-month epic voyage in Gothenburg last week. They may not have won but they have pushed many boundaries for women's sailing.

The Volvo Ocean Race is a gruelling event, in total over 38,000 nautical miles. And Team SCA is the only all-woman crew ever to win a leg (the name given to each of the nine stages) of the competition - from Lisbon to Lorient.

Thousands of well-wishers welcomed the team home. The day marked the culmination of a project that started almost three years ago when Sweden-based hygiene specialist SCA (best known in commercial sectors for the Tork range of products) announced its participation.

Skipper Sam Davies said: "We are really, really proud of everything we have achieved. What we have done is huge, now we are racing against the best in the world and it's an incredible feeling to have progressed this far.

"It's the first time we have sailed into Sweden and that's a pretty proud moment for the whole team. The support is amazing, and here there were people lining the river all the way along with pink flags, banners - even in the rain."

Team SCA had one aim, to bring female sailors back to the world's toughest ocean race and to compete at the same level as their male counterparts. Over 200 applicants went through the trial process where a squad of 13 sailors and two onboard reporters were selected.

www.sca.com