Podium position for PUMA Ocean Racing in VOR

by Puma Ocean Racing Media on 5 Oct 2008 Ken Read and the PUMA Ocean Racing team today scored a podium position in the opening day of racing in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. Two in port races were sailed in 8-9 knots of wind off the shores of Alicante, Spain. Finishing sixth in the former and second in the latter race, the team aboard Puma’s il mostro have secured third place overall in the race standings ahead of the first leg to Cape Town, which begins next Saturday.

After a tricky first race, the PUMA Ocean Racing team aboard il mostro – ‘the monster’ – showed what they were really made of in the second. Narrowly missing out on first place after being overtaken by Spanish boat Telefonica Blue on the final leg, il mostro flew round the course stunning the crowd with their sheer speed and power upwind using a huge new sail – the ‘Code Zero’.

With an audience of thousands lining the shores, and hundreds of spectator boats crowding the racecourse, the atmosphere in the race village was buzzing. In port racing will be conducted in seven ports of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, and count for points towards each boat’s overall score in the race. Whilst contributing a relatively small amount to the overall score in comparison to offshore legs which will cover thousands of miles, the PUMA Ocean Racing team will now go into the first leg of this epic 37,000 mile race with a positive mindset.

PUMA Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read commented: 'Finishing on the podium was the goal that we set ourselves aboard il mostro for today, so we’re really happy to have achieved that. Our first race was pretty ugly; we didn’t have a great start and then just sailed into a hole, but the second race was great. We got a nice puff [of wind] on the first beat, and got ahead of the fleet. Whilst Telefonica Blue overtook us on the final leg, finishing second, and to be lying in third overall tonight, feels really great. I will say however, that today we really only saw light winds, it’s when we’re offshore we’ll really see what these boats are made of.'

The first leg of the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will begin on Saturday 11th October 2008 from Alicante, Spain, taking the fleet 6,500 miles to Cape Town, South Africa. The Volvo Ocean Race is made up of ten legs, finishing in June 2009 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

By joining the race, PUMA has entered a new premium category and is the only Sportslifestyle company to participate in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. For more information about the race, team and the PUMA Sailing collections, please visit www.pumaoceanracing.com

PUMA Ocean Racing Sailing Team List, In Port Race, Alicante:

Ken Read, 46 (Newport, RI, United States) Skipper
Andrew Cape, 43 (Lymington, Hampshire, Great Britain – originally AUS) Navigator
Michael 'Michi' Müller, 24 (Kiel, Germany) Grinder/Sewer
Rob Salthouse, 41 (Auckland, New Zealand) Pit
Casey Smith, 29 (Brisbane, Australia) Bowman
Jerry Kirby, 51 (Newport, RI, United States) Bowman
Jonathan McKee, 47 (Seattle, WA, United States)Tactician
Justin Ferris, 32 (KeriKeri, New Zealand)Trimmer
Sidney Gavignet, 39 (Paris, France) Trimmer
Chris Nicholson, 37 (Belmont, NSW, Australia) Main
Andrew Taylor, 45 (Valencia, Spain – originally NZ) Grinder
Shannon Falcone, 27 (Valencia, Spain – originally ANT) Grinder