Volvo Ocean Race - Puma fourth to cross finish

by Lisa Ramsperger on 4 Feb 2012 Volvo Ocean Race team Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg have completed the second stage of the third leg from Abu Dhabi, UAE, to Sanya, China in fourth overall. After a roller coaster leg they crossed the line at 08:29 UTC/16:29 local on Saturday 4th February 2012.

The crew added 12 points to their overall total after completing the stage in 13 days, 29 minutes and 12 seconds. Puma collected 17 points total for Leg 3 and remains in fourth place in the overall standings with 48 points.

'We did what we thought was right, that's all you can ever do. We're in the game to take calculated risks where they happen,' said skipper Ken Read. 'Our boat handling is great, our crew work is great, the effort is fantastic, but we have to get better at picking our edge. We'll regroup, and go into this next leg just like we always do, trying to win. Nothing is going to change moving forward.'

Puma started the second stage of Leg 3 on Sunday, January 22, at 08:00 UTC in the safe haven port of Male in the Maldives. Through the Malacca Strait, around Singapore and up the coast of Vietnam, the crew sailed more than 3,000 nautical miles to the fourth port of Sanya. Team Telefónica won Leg 3 overall, with the Groupama Sailing Team crossing the line in second and Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand in third.

'When we took our eastern option, we went into it thinking it may be first or fifth. When we realized it wasn't going well, we joined the fleet and got one place back, so that's some consolation,' said navigator Tom Addis. 'They key thing was realizing when something wasn't going right and doing something about it.'

On the start of the leg, Puma’s Mar Mostro demonstrated its speed up the Sharjah coastline out of Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, finishing in second place in the first stage of Leg 3 with a time of 16:31:01. As was the case with Leg 2, the Leg 3 route was redrawn and split into two stages due to the threat of piracy in the Indian Ocean. Stage 1 was the one-day sprint up to Sharjah, and the second stage was the journey to Sanya. Stage 2 of the leg counted for 80 percent of the available leg points.

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 team is once again 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); Ryan Godfrey, Pitman (Adelaide, Australia); Kelvin Harrap, Helmsman, 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); Casey Smith, Systems Manager and Bowman (Brisbane, Australia); 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 Leg 3:
Pos Team S1, S2, Total
1 Team Telefónica 3, 24, 27
2 Groupama Sailing Team 4, 20, 24
3 Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand 2, 16, 18
4 Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg 5, 12, 17
5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 6, 8, 14
6 Team Sanya* -, 4, 4
* Still racing at time of publication

Overall standings:
Pos Team Overall
1 Team Telefónica 95
2 Camper with Emirates Team New Zealand 80
3 Groupama Sailing Team 71
4 Puma Ocean Racing powered by Berg 48
5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 39
6 Team Sanya 15

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 (4th in Leg 3 overall) 12, 48
* Retired from Puma Ocean Racing website