27.04.2009
PUMA arrive in Boston to a hometown welcome
April 26, 2009 – The PUMA Ocean Racing team crossed the finish line of leg
six of the Volvo Ocean Race at 19.12 local (23.12 GMT) in Boston this
evening, in front of crowds of waiting fans. Elated to be arriving in
Boston, the team’s unofficial home after 14 days at sea, the ten man crew,
led by Skipper Ken Read (USA) endured a long fight to the finish. Having
moved up and down the standings numerous times in an incredibly close leg,
which saw PUMA reduce a 150 mile gap between themselves and the leaders to
within ten miles this morning, the team finished the leg in fourth place.
The sixth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to
Boston, USA, took the fleet 4,900 nautical miles from the Southern
Atlantic, across the equator for the fourth and final time during the
37,000 mile round the world race, and northwards to the New England
capital of Boston. The PUMA Ocean Racing team program was announced in
Boston in May 2007, and PUMA’s il mostro (‘the monster’) was launched in
Boston in May 2008. PUMA has a headquarters in Boston and has painted the
city PUMA red for the stopover.
Upon his arrival at the dock, Skipper Ken Read (USA) commented: “For us,
this leg had a bitter sweet ending. Fourth is not exactly the result we
were looking for coming in to Boston, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. It
was one of those legs where nothing seemed to go our way. I wish I could
say it was effort, the boat, or the sails but I can’t, it just wasn’t our
leg. In the end we were fourth best today. Ericsson 4 got a fourth before,
everyone has a leg like this. However, we had some great, close, exciting
racing up here from Brazil and the whole team is happy to be here in
Boston, a place that we can call home.”
“With a chance at third, we had a great day yesterday, but this morning we
were literally becalmed while Telefonica Blue, who finished third, sailed
away on the seaward side of the channel. But, today is about so much more.
We have now arrived in the place where it all began. 11 days short of one
year ago, this boat was christened by Salma Hayek at the Institute of
Contemporary Art next door to us right now. In our Boston to Boston
journey round the world since then, we have sailed exactly 48,182 miles on
il mostro. We’ve done that in less than one year, and obviously we still
have a few miles to go to reach Russia, where we complete this race and
the total overall journey.”
“It was a lot of work to get this boat in the water back then, but nothing
compares to this - the culmination of the work of the PUMA crew and shore
team as we make our way around the world. We’re an operation that holds
its head high in victory and defeat and I am very proud of this program
and the amount of people it has touched to date. That is the goal of the
PUMA Ocean Racing campaign - to reach as many lives as possible, in a
positive way, all while masquerading as a sailboat race. It has been a
very long journey to get back to where we feel so familiar, but worth
every minute of the joy and hardship along the way.”
The PUMA Ocean Racing team will now take a well-deserved rest before
competing in the Boston In Port race on Saturday 9th May, just off the
coast of the city of Boston.
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
In celebration of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009, the award-winning PUMA
City, designed and conceptualized by PUMA and international acclaimed
architects, LOT-EK, is PUMA’s home in the Boston race village. PUMA City
is a mobile retail, event space and bar that will host activities, parties
and festivities for Boston – free and open to the public until May 16th
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 +1 857 334 2783
bridgid.murphy@puma.com or kate.fairclough@puma.com
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