23.10.08
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PUMA’s King Neptune Ceremony
October 23, 2008 – The PUMA team today crossed the equator for the first
time in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, and for three of the crew on board;
Casey (AUS), Michi, (GER) and Skipper Ken (USA), this marked their first
ever crossing. Shortly afterwards, PUMA passed through the Leg One scoring
gate at Fernando de Noronha in third place, earning them three points.
The team performed the traditional initiation rites which date back to the
nineteenth century, when a ceremony involving a brutal physical assault
was performed on board Naval ships, followed by the offering of a gift to
King Neptune - King of the Sea - to ensure good luck to the boat during
its passage. For Casey, Michi and Ken, fortunately the ceremony was not
the event that had been threatened by the seasoned sailors aboard PUMA’s
il mostro, as they were caught in the middle of a tight battle for second
place with Ericsson 4 in twenty knots of wind.
All is explained by Skipper Ken Read: “I'm glad that's over with. The
infamous equator crossing. Personally the entire thing has a bit of
college hazing to it. Or a bachelors party gone bad without the alcohol.
There had been months of speculation on the deeds that would be performed.
All in a humorous sort of way, all with a twinkle in the eye of the
person expressing the inappropriate deeds. We were called on deck and all
of a sudden a glimmering Justin Ferris came up with a bucket of who knows
what. All the rancid food that he could put together over the last day or
two, mixed with my personal favourite and the most disgusting food on
earth - Vegemite.”
Step one, make sure each of the three of us were wearing enough of it to
feel pretty gross. Step two, each of us individually was given a personal
gift. Mine was a nice hair gel sort of swipe with Justin's two hands
dipped in the vegemite and then oozing through my hair. Very gross! Then
to Casey who in essence wore the rest of the rancid food. Not too
creative there. And finally to our pony-tailed young crewman Michi. He
was simply handed a pair of scissors. I don't think any of the boys had
the guts to cut Michi’s hair for fear of retribution. But they gave Michi
the chance and he immediately reached back - grabbed the pony tail - and
cut off the last inch or so of the long blond locks. All to the huge
amusement of the entire team.”
“The final bit to the scene was played with a French Brandy called
(shockingly) Napoleon. A sip was given to Neptune, to each crewmember and
two for the boat’s safety. Done. Whew. Pretty painless, except it took
me about 10 minutes on the bow getting waves crashed over me with
dishwashing liquid in my hair trying to get the Vegemite out. Well I
thought I did. Until I tried to sleep last night and all I could do was
smell that rancid stuff.”
Current Position:
3rd Place
Distance to Leader: 16 nautical miles
Distance to Leg Finish: 3370 nautical miles
Miles covered in last 24 hours: 282 nautical miles
The Volvo Ocean Race is made up of ten legs, finishing in June 2009 in St.
Petersburg, Russia. The fleet is expected to finish the first leg of the
race, in Cape Town, around 3rd November.
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
For more information on Puma Ocean Racing, please contact:
Bridgid Murphy or Kate Fairclough
PUMA Ocean Racing
Tel: +1 978 996 5155 or +44 7827 277 517
bridgid.murphy@puma.com or kate.fairclough@puma.com
PUMA® is the global Sportlifestyle company that successfully fuses
influences from sport, lifestyle and fashion. PUMA’s unique industry
perspective delivers the unexpected in Sportlifestyle Footwear, Apparel
and Accessories, through technical innovation and revolutionary design.
Established in Herzogenaurach, Germany in 1948, PUMA distributes products
in over 80 countries. For further information please visit www.puma.com
Visit www.volvooceanrace.org http://www.volvooceanrace.org for all the latest news!
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