Puma Ocean Racing leaves US for VOR start

by Bridgid Murphy on 27 Aug 2008
PUMA Ocean Racing left Newport, Rhode Island today for their final warm-up before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race.

This transatlantic crossing from Newport to Alicante, Spain is no simple feat and will be the final test of the PUMA Ocean Racing Team and the boat before the race begins. Skipper Ken Read and his crew have been preparing PUMA’s il mostro for this moment since its launch in late April. PUMA’s il mostro is expected to arrive in Spain by the first week in September. Once in Alicante, the PUMA sailors will participate in required safety training, weather brief,s and il mostro will go through official measurement. Ken Read will also make sure his crew has plenty of practice for the In-Port and Pro-Am Races on October 4-5, the official start of the 37,000 mile, 11-stop, adventure around the world.

'We can’t wait to get this race started,' exclaimed Read as he left the dock for the 'little sail' across the pond. 'We will have put nearly 8,000 miles of sailing on il mostro prior to the start of the race and feel pretty good about the boat and its capabilities. I hope the boat is quick, but we will never know until we finally get this adventure started for real.'

PUMA announced their entry into the sailing category in May 2007, when they officially entered into the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 with the PUMA Ocean Racing Team. The around-the- world race will extend over 9 months and visit 11 port stopovers. In addition to their Volvo entry, PUMA is also the official supplier of the merchandise for the 2008-2009 Race and will carry a full line of performance and lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories available at sailing specialty stores and select PUMA Concept stores.

For more information about the race, team and the PUMA Sailing collections, please visit www.pumaoceanracing.com
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