November 6, 2008
http://media.pumaoceanracing.com
PUMA looking ahead to Leg Two to Kochi, India
Second Leg of Volvo Ocean Race into the unknown
November 6, 2008 – Cape Town is currently the home of the PUMA Ocean
Racing team, who are busy at work in preparation for Leg Two of the Volvo
Ocean Race. Having finished Leg One in second place late on Sunday night,
all hands are now on deck to ensure PUMA’s il mostro is ready for the
4,450 nautical mile leg to Kochi, India, an entirely new route for the
race, which begins on Saturday 15th November.
While the sailing team are getting some well-deserved rest, the shore
team, which has been bolstered in numbers due to the short South African
stopover, are hard at work servicing and repairing the boat. With only
twelve days in port in which to do this, it’s a tight schedule.
Neil Cox, PUMA Boat Captain, commented: “Our shore team, as usual, has
stepped up into another gear. We had the boat out of the water, stripped
down, and the rig on the ground within 12 hours of the boat arriving to
port. From here the boys know that until the boat is tied back to the dock
and ready to go for its shakedown sail, life is ‘all about the boat’. Even
without the standard breakages, leaks and new developments, the basic
service list off the top of your mind would comprise of over 150 jobs
divided between the boat building, rigging, sail making and electrical
departments.”
The passage from Cape Town to Kochi is widely regarded as an ‘unknown’ for
the Volvo Ocean Race sailors, as no professional round-the-world yacht
race has ever sailed this course before. The leg is expected to be
predominantly upwind sailing and piracy is considered a serious threat in
these waters. As the commerical capital of India’s south-western state of
Kerala, Kochi will welcome the fleet after a tough eighteen days at sea.
Skipper Ken Read commented: “Leg One to Cape Town was such a close leg, we
had some great racing and we learned a lot about the boat and how hard we
can push ourselves onboard il mostro. This is only the beginning. In just
a few days we’ll be saying ‘goodbye Cape Town and hello Kochi’. We’ll be
ready for that and to go out there and push even harder. Everyone’s
talking about India, and we’re excited to be going there.”
As planned, Jerry Kirby and Jonathan McKee will stand down for the next
leg of the race, as the crew rotates. Shannon Falcone (ANT) and Robbie
Naismith (NZL), a trimmer/pitman and trimmer respectively, will join the
PUMA team for the leg to Kochi.
Current Overall Position:
2nd Place, with 18 points
The Volvo Ocean Race is made up of ten legs, finishing in June 2009 in St.
Petersburg, Russia. Leg Two to India starts from Cape Town on Saturday 15
th 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
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