THE delight of leaving the Straits of Malacca behind them and arriving in Singapore ahead of the festive period was all too evident when the first four yachts of the Volvo Ocean Race dropped anchor at Sentosa Cove in the early hours this morning.

The teams were welcomed by a crowd of 100 people - consisting mainly of other team members, family members and the media.

There were pats on the back, hugs, kisses and congratulations for the sailors who survived the tricky 1950-nautical mile journey from Kochi to Singapore.

After over nine days of sailing, Telefonica was first to cross the finish line.

Puma, Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4, who finished second, third and fourth respectively, finished within two minutes of each other - providing one of the closest finishes in the round-the-world race's 35-year history.

For the sailors, it marked the start of a welcomed break with loved ones.

Telefonica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking was looking forward to spending time with his wife, Puma skipper Ken Read was calling out for a cold beer, while teammate Sidney Gavignet really just wanted a shower.

In truth, the watch captain could not have timed his arrival to Singapore any better.

He turned 40 on the night and wife Caroline, 39, and daughters Chade, 10, and Tarajune, five, were on hand to celebrate his birthday.

His birthday wish: to have a good time away from the sea.

He recalled: "The Straits of Malacca was like another world. It's completely crazy there - huge planks of wood in the water, lots of fishermen, supertankers...The race was very intense. Second-place is a good present."

The sailors will be given time off, before they head back to sea on Jan 10 to compete in the in-port race off the waters of East Coast Parkway.