Volvo Ocean Race Miami In-Port Race – Puma takes third

by Lisa Ramsperger on 20 May 2012 Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 Miami In-Port Race was held on Saturday 19th May 2012. Puma’s Mar Mostro stretched its nose across the line to capture third place and return to the podium. The Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg crew pushed past Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand with meters left on the race course, finishing nine seconds ahead. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing took first, with the Groupama Sailing Team a close second.

'It was a lousy start, we got trapped down the line, but the boys did a nice job of battling back,' said skipper Ken Read. 'We had really good sail changes – we used every sail on the boat except the J4 today. As always, nobody quit on this boat and got us back in a podium spot.

'At the end it was close, and that’s all we know how to do, keep it close. That’s part of the DNA of this team to keep grinding it out,' Read continued. 'When this race began, every single skipper said this was going to be really close. It’s no surprise to me – this is a fleet of six well-prepared, well-sailed boats.'

Puma’s Mar Mostro was squeezed at the start by Team Sanya, ended up at the back of the fleet, and played catch-up the first three legs of the race. After mark No. 4, Puma moved ahead of Camper. Going into the sixth mark, Puma slid past Sanya while Team Telefónica struggled to regain momentum and touched the mark. Telefónica’s penalty turn propelled Puma into the third position. The course was shortened, and following a final leg battle with Camper, Puma edged past to capture the final podium spot in front of a welcoming hometown crowd.

'I’m proud of South Florida today,' Read said. 'They put on a really nice show out on the water today, showing support, showing their love for sailing.'

Puma added four points to their total and remains in fourth place overall with 151 points, sitting one point behind Camper on the leaderboard. Only 14 points separate the top four boats in the fleet.

Casey Smith (Brisbane, Australia) rejoined the team this week in Miami. He returned to his position on the bow for today’s Port Miami In-Port Race and will be onboard for the start of the next leg.

On Sunday, the fleet sets out on a transatlantic crossing with the start of Leg 7 from Miami to Lisbon, Portugal. Race Start is at 13:00 local/17:00 UTC. Racing will be streamed live online and on the live section of the Volvo Ocean Race YouTube channel: Streaming begins five minutes before the 10-minute warning signal. Also visit the event website for complete television broadcast information in local markets.

The Volvo Ocean Race started on November 5 in Alicante, and the fleet is traveling 39,000 nautical miles through 10 ports, finishing in Galway, Ireland, in July 2012.

The Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg team is under the leadership of Read (Newport, Rhode Island, United States). Collectively, the crew has won the Around the World Race six times. The core includes: Tom Addis, Navigator (Sydney, Australia); Shannon Falcone (Falmouth Harbour, Antigua); Ryan Godfrey, Pitman (Adelaide, Australia); Kelvin Harrap, Helmsman and Inshore Tactician (Napier, New Zealand); Brad Jackson, Design Coordinator and Watch Captain (Auckland, New Zealand); Rome Kirby, Trimmer and Driver (Newport, Rhode Island, USA); Michael 'Michi' Müller, Bowman (Kiel, Germany); Tony Mutter, Aerodynamics Coordinator and Watch Captain (Auckland, New Zealand); Jonathan 'Jono' Swain, Helmsman and Trimmer (Durban, South Africa); Amory Ross, Media Crew Member (Newport, Rhode Island, USA); Kimo Worthington, General Manager (Portsmouth, Rhode Island, United States); and Tim Hacket, Shore Team Manager (Sydney, Australia).

Results:

Port Miami In-Port Race
POS TEAM PTS TIME
1 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 6 74:09
2 Groupama Sailing Team 5 +00:33
3 Puma Ocean Racing powered by BERG 4 +02:02
4 Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand 3 +02:11
5 Team Sanya 2 +02:35
6 Team Telefónica 1 +06:28

Overall Standings
POS TEAM OVERALL
1 Team Telefónica 165
2 Groupama Sailing Team 158
3 Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand 152
4 Puma Ocean Racing powered by BERG 151
5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 74
6 Team Sanya 27

Puma Ocean Racing powered by BERG scoring:
POS RACE/LEG PTS TOTAL
2 Alicante In-Port Race 5 5
-- Leg 1* -- 5
3 Cape Town In-Port Race 4 9
3 Leg 2, Stage 1 16 25
4 Leg 2, Stage 2 (3rd in Leg 2 overall) 3 28
4 Abu Dhabi In-Port Race 3 31
2 Leg 3, Stage 1 5 36
4 Leg 3, Stage 2 12 48
2 Sanya In-Port Race 5 53
2 Leg 4 25 78
2 Auckland In-Port Race 5 83
1 Leg 5 30 113
3 Itajaí In-Port Race 4 117
1 Leg 6 30 147
3 Miami In-Port Race 4 151
* Retired from leg Puma Ocean Racing website