13.03.2009
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PUMA to face huge storm and rough Cape Horn rounding
March 13, 2009 – One month into the longest leg of the Volvo Ocean Race,
the PUMA Ocean Racing team are preparing to face heinous conditions over
the next four days, as they make their way towards Cape Horn. With 1,700
nautical miles to go until they round the iconic landmark, the Volvo Ocean
Race fleet is about to be shaken up again, with the opportunity for
place-changing at the front of the fleet. PUMA is currently in third place
behind rivals Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4, but are closing the gap between
the boats every mile that they sail.
Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America, is fabled for the
hazardous conditions commonly encountered by boats rounding it. Where the
Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet, strong winds, large waves, strong
currents, freezing temperatures and rough seas combined with the chance of
iceberg sightings make its rounding threatening to the most experienced
ocean going sailors.
With a huge low pressure system currently building to the west of Chile,
PUMA must make some big decisions with regards to their course to Cape
Horn. Positioning themselves carefully within this weather system with
winds of up to 50 knots could catapult the team towards Cape Horn at great
pace, and offer the opportunity to overtake the two Ericsson boats. PUMA
are expected to round Cape Horn on Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Skipper Ken Read (USA) commented: “We are in the process of essentially
waiting for a low pressure system to come our way so we can jump on and
rip to the horn. Sounds bizarre? Well, when you look at a weather map of
this place, it is truly ‘Bizzaro World’. Our quickest route by far is to
head north east and punch through quite a strong low to get in the
westerlies on the back side of it. Just when you thought this leg couldn't
get any weirder.”
“There are plenty of weather options coming up here soon. Green Dragon
will be the first to jump on this system and come ripping up to us. As we
see it, the leg will start all over again with Ericsson 4, Green Dragon
and ourselves. Do Ericsson 3, who has worked so hard for a nice little
lead, continue south and try to beat this low, or do they come back with
us and jump on the train and burn up their hard earned lead? Very
interesting. At this point I count nothing out.”
“Last night sucked. Really cold, tons of water, hard reaching – brutal
conditions. We’re in a cold, desolate place - a little bit of sunshine
would go a long way right now. We talked today about a total lack of
marine life out here so far. We’ve seen very few Albatross, and only a
handful of small sea birds, with no fish or dolphins to speak of. Thank
goodness no whales (they can hurt both whale and boat if they meet
unexpectedly). My guess is that even the marine life have figured out that
this is a pretty desolate place and there are better places on earth to
hang out. It’s strange though as when we passed through a similar latitude
leaving Cape Town there were tons of Albatross. None on this side of the
Southern Ocean. Only 1,700 miles to the Horn. Hopefully the race will
start up again soon.”
Leg five of the Volvo Ocean Race is expected to take 35 – 40 days to
complete. 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 Sportlifestyle 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
Alongside PUMA’s entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, PUMA has launched a full
range of marine clothing and apparel, from offshore sailing gear to
onshore lifestyle fashion. The PUMA Sailing Performance collection was
developed and tested by the PUMA Ocean Racing team itself, and is worn by
the team throughout the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09. The PUMA Sailing
Lifestyle collection takes inspiration from the sport.
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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