Please select your home edition
Edition
C-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 TOP

Volvo Ocean race- Puma reaches Cape Town after 31 day epic journey

by Volvo Ocean Racing on 7 Dec 2011
PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG, skipper Ken Read during the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 Cape Town stopover. Ian Roman/Volvo Ocean Race http://www.volvooceanrace.com

It was not the way Ken Read had imagined stepping off Puma's Mar Mostro and on to shore at Cape Town but after 31 days away the American could still savour a heartfelt moment with wife Kathy before putting the next phase of the recovery plan into place.

Puma Ocean Racing, who set off from Alicante with the rest of the fleet back on November 5, made it into the Cape Town port late on Tuesday night.

The boat was lifted down from Team Bremen, the container ship sent to pick them up, and the team motored her round to the shore base at around 1am for a raucous welcome from friends and well-wishers, whooping and cheering and wearing 'The Show Mast Go On' T-shirts, and more tender moments with family.

The hard work for the shore crew starts now, with less than four days to go to get the boat, which lost her rig on November 21, back in condition to take part in the In-Port Race in Cape Town on Saturday.


'When we left Alicante did we think we were going to come in on a ship tonight? No. But the guys have done an amazing job to get us this far -- everyone has -- and we're very thankful for that,' said Read.

'The boat's going to be out of the water in less than an hour and the shore team will be working all night. The goal is to be back in the water by noon tomorrow and maybe go sailing tomorrow afternoon, so there's not a lot of rest for the weary. But that's what we signed up for and that's what we're going to do.'


For much of the leg Puma were challenging for the lead with Team Telefónica only to dismast while in the South Atlantic.

They were left with no choice but to point their boat in the direction of Tristan da Cunha and hope for the best. Thanks to some diesel borrowed from a nearby ship that diverted to help them, they made it to the world's most remote human settlement and spent several days enjoying the volcanic island's hospitality -- in large part lobsters and beer -- before Team Bremen could come for her.

They managed to get the boat loaded on board on Friday and worked on it during the journey back to Cape Town but there is still plenty more to be done and the shore crew got to work as soon as the sailors were on land.









X-Yachts X4.3CollinsonCo 728x90 BOTTOMRS Sailing 2021 - FOOTER

Related Articles

SailGP: Australia on top in Geneva- Day 1
The Flying Roos sit on top of the leaderboard, after the first day of racing in SailGP Switzerland. The Flying Roos sit on top of the leaderboard, after the first day of racing in SailGP Switzerland. This was the first test of the new light air foils, and three races were sailed, all completed within the time limits.
Posted today at 3:08 pm
America's Cup: Vision for the Naples unveiled
Emirates Team NZ and Sport e Salute unveiled the vision for the America's Cup in Naples in 2027. Emirates Team NZ and Sport e Salute, the publicly-owned Italian company responsible for promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle across the nation, unveiled the vision for the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup in Naples in 2027.
Posted today at 2:30 pm
Globe40 2025 update
Credit Mutuel arrives in the Cape Verde archipelago Ian Lipinski and Antoine Carpentier on CREDIT MUTUEL marked the start of this second edition of the GLOBE40 with their victory in the first official leg of the event. It was at 08:37 UTC today that they crossed the finish line off the city of Mindelo!
Posted today at 12:36 pm
Meet Benoit Marie: 6-for-6 and Mini Transat Ready
Six races - six wins Benoit Marie isn't just having a good season — he's having a perfect one onboard his Classe Mini Nicomatic x Petit Bateau. Six races. Six wins.
Posted today at 11:00 am
The latest in fleet monitoring and tracking
Join us on October 22nd for an in-depth exploration of the latest in tracking technology Fleet monitoring and tracking are essential for efficiency, safety, and compliance with real-time visibility into fleet movements critical.
Posted today at 9:30 am
2025 Dutch Water Week day 3
Britain's Micky Beckett continues to lead the ILCA 7 fleet Day Three of the Dutch Water Week, the last stop of the Sailing Grand Slam 2025, brought sunshine and light winds to Almere.
Posted today at 8:53 am
Women's Match Racing Worlds in Chicago Day 3
Quarter-Finals set at Women's Match Racing Worlds After a third day of unseasonable light airs on Lake Michigan, the qualifying round-robin stage of the World Sailing Women's Match Racing World Championship concluded, advancing the top eight teams to the quarter-final stage.
Posted today at 7:57 am
30% OFF Vaikobi Duffel & Dry Bags!
This deal ends this Sunday at midnight Whether you're packing for a weekend trip, hitting the water, or just need reliable storage, now's the time to upgrade your gear.
Posted today at 1:00 am
OK Dinghy Worlds at Lake Garda overall
Andrew Mills wins after a epic week for the 212 helms Britain's Andrew Mills has won the 2025 OK Dinghy world championship after an epic week of racing on Lake Garda. With only one race possible on the final day, the result was academic to Mills, who was already discarding a second.
Posted on 19 Sep
Black Foils: New boards and rudders for Geneva
Black Foils hope for a better weekend after test racing in light winds on Lake Geneva New boat configurations, fresh water and forecast light wind conditions leading to different crew numbers are set to make for a unique weekend as SailGP hits Geneva for the first time.
Posted on 19 Sep