03.04.2009
PUMA revved up and ready for Rio In Port race
April 3, 2009 – The PUMA Ocean Racing team are revved up for the Rio de
Janeiro In Port race, which will take place tomorrow in Guanabara Bay,
Brazil. The start gun of the fourth In Port race day of the Volvo Ocean
Race 2008-09 will be fired at 13:00 local/16:00 GMT/12:00 EDT on Saturday
April 4. Two short, 50 minute races will be raced just off Maria da
Gloria, with the bay providing a wonderful natural amphitheatre for
spectators. Currently lying in second place overall in the Volvo Ocean
Race, the PUMA team will be racing for precious points. Reinaldo Conrad,
Brazil’s first ever Olympic sailing medallist and five time Olympian, will
sail onboard as PUMA’s special guest.
Following a well-deserved break after an exhausting 41 day leg from China
to Rio, the PUMA Ocean Racing team were back out on the water today
preparing for the In Port race. A maximum of four points can be earned
from the In Port race day, which could make a big difference in the
overall standings of the race. Regular In Port race crew Shannon Falcone
(ANT) and Andrew Taylor (NZL) join the PUMA Ocean Racing team for the In
Port racing. In addition, Kimo Worthington (USA) and Joe Fanelli (USA) are
set to bolster the crew for the day, allowing Erle Williams (NZL) and
Michi Mueller (GER) a few extra days rest before the start of leg six from
Rio de Janeiro to Boston, USA next Saturday, 11th April.
Sailing onboard il mostro for the In Port race will be PUMA’s Ocean Racing
team of Ken Read, Skipper; Andrew Cape, Navigator; Justin Ferris, Trimmer;
Sidney Gavignet, Trimmer; Jerry Kirby, Bowman; Kimo Worthington, index; Joe
Fanelli, Grinder/Sewer; Rob Greenhalgh, Tactician; Rob Salthouse, Pit;
Casey Smith, Bowman; Shannon Falcone, Trimmer/Pit and Andrew Taylor,
Grinder. Rick Deppe, PUMA’s Media Specialist will also be onboard
providing a live video stream straight from the boat, which can be viewed
at www.volvooceanrace.tv in real time on race day.
Skipper Ken Read (USA) commented: “We in the PUMA team always look forward
to each of the in port races that we do around the world. After the long
offshore legs, it’s a nice change of pace, we get back to our roots a
little bit. We’re really hoping for a good sea breeze tomorrow, to make it
an exciting contest out there in Guanabara Bay. If we get some good
breeze, it will make for quite a spectacle – great for the people of Rio
who will have a great view of the racing. If we don’t get a good sea
breeze, it could make for a long hard day.”
“We’ve done our homework to try to work out some of the intricacies of
Guanabara Bay – every place we go in the world we tap into some of the top
local sailors, and sit down with them to go through some scenarios and get
some local knowledge before we go racing. The other big thing to consider
in these short in port races is that boat handling is super important.
These boats are animals and you really need an extra ten people to be able
to crew them effectively. Being so under-crewed in a boat designed for
long offshore legs, with sails designed for going offshore, is always
hard.”
“It’s great to have the rest of the fleet back. With Torben Grael sailing
in his home town we’ll have one eye on Ericsson 4, but the other eye up
the course, trying to win the boat race.”
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
Tel: +55 21 8273 7840 or +55 21 8197 4509 in Rio
bridgid.murphy@puma.com or kate.fairclough@puma.com
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