10.07.2011
PUMA OCEAN RACING TEAM FINISHES TRANSATLANTIC RACE 2011
BOSTON, MA (July 11, 2011) – The PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
Propulsion team completed their Atlantic crossing early Monday morning,
July 11, at 05:40 UTC to finish the Transatlantic Race 2011. PUMA’s Mar
Mostro was the second boat to cross the finish line at Lizard Point,
Cornwall, U.K., behind Rambler 100, and is currently leading the IRC
overall standings based on corrected time. Skipper Ken Read and crew
traveled the 2,975 nautical mile course in 7 days, 11 hours and 40
minutes.
“We entered the race with zero expectations, just like the other IRC
handicap racing we’ve done this year,” Read said. “We wanted to learn the
boat and the crew. Now, here we are in the position of possibly winning a
race that we didn’t expect to win. We’re pleasantly shocked. We didn’t
break anything, the sails held up, the team is certainly coming together,
and there’s not a single negative to this race. It was a great
experience.”
The race was the first test for the PUMA team and new Volvo Open 70 racing
yacht. The 11-member crew departed Newport, R.I., on Sunday, July 3,
alongside five other boats in IRC Class 1 in the final start of the race.
Rambler 100 (skipper George David) earned line honors after finishing on
Sunday, July 10, at 16:08 UTC. Also in the class: ICAP Leopard (Clarke
Murphy); Beau Geste (Karl Kwok); Sojana (Peter Harrison); and Vanquish
(USMMA – All American Offshore Team). Overall, 26 boats ranging from 40 to
289 feet in length entered the race.
PUMA’s Mar Mostro reached a maximum speed of just over 30 knots early in
the race, traveling 551 nautical miles on Day 3. By Friday, light air
slowed the pace through the line.
“The finish was excruciating,” Read said. “We approached The Lizard,
knowing we had to get there quick because the current was about to change
and go against us. As we entered the English Channel, the breeze was dying
steadily to the point where the current did change. Literally, when the
race committee said we were finished, we were stopped and about to throw
the anchor as we would have been going backwards with the current. A
bizarre twist to the finish.
“But, this is boat racing,” Read continued. “It’s great training because
you have to be ready for the extreme highs and lows, and that goes for
weather as well. To finish in a complete drift off is another lesson
learned – be prepared for everything.”
Read and crew are not stopping in the U.K., but are already heading south
to the Canary Islands. The team’s summer training headquarters becomes the
Puerto Calero Marina in Lanzarote at the end of this week. From there, the
crew will head to the race start location of Alicante, Spain, in late
September. Next racing on the docket is the Volvo Ocean Race with Leg 1
beginning November 5.
“The boat doesn’t have a list of any real problems,” Read said looking
ahead. “But, we can’t sit back and think ‘we’re done,’ or that we’re
great. We know we have to get better, and an experience like this helps us
sort out a lot of little things that we can get better at. If you don’t
improve every day, then you’re going backwards because everybody else is
improving.”
The PUMA Ocean Racing team is once again under the leadership of Read
(Newport, Rhode Island, United States). Collectively, the crew has won the
Around the World Race seven times. The core includes: Tom Addis, Navigator
(Sydney, Australia); Ryan Godfrey, Trimmer & Driver (Adelaide, Australia);
Kelvin Harrap, Trimmer & Driver (Napier, New Zealand); Brad Jackson,
Design Coordinator & Watch Captain (Auckland, New Zealand); Rome Kirby,
Trimmer & Driver (Newport, Rhode Island, USA); Michael “Michi” Müller,
Bowman (Kiel, Germany); Tony Mutter, Aerodynamics Coordinator & Watch
Captain (Auckland, New Zealand); Casey Smith, Systems Manager & Bowman
(Brisbane, Australia); Jonathan “Jono” Swain, Helmsman & Trimmer (Durban,
South Africa); Arden Oksanen, Media Crew Member (Jackson Hole, Wyoming,
USA); Kimo Worthington, General Manager (Venice, California, United
States); and Tim Hacket, Shore Team Manager (Sydney, Australia).
Blogs and photos from the journey can be found at www.puma.com/sailing.
For more on the Transatlantic Race 2011 visit: www.transatlanticrace.org.
Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PumaOceanRacing.
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