15.07.2011
NEXT PHASE BEGINS FOR PUMA OCEAN RACING TEAM
PUMA’s Mar Mostro claims IRC Class 1 and IRC Overall win in Transatlantic
Race
BOSTON, MASS. (July 15, 2011) – The PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG
Propulsion team arrived in Lanzarote, Spain, in the Canary Islands, at
11:00 UTC today, ready to begin the next phase of training for the Volvo
Ocean Race 2011-2012. The 11-member crew was back on land for the first
time since departing Newport, R.I., on July 3 in the Transatlantic Race
2011. While racing is still underway, the Transatlantic Race committee has
declared PUMA’s Mar Mostro provisional winners.
“The shore team met us at the dock, and there was a really nice
celebration from the team, marina and the locals here in Lanzarote,” said
skipper Ken Read. “After a well-earned shower, the first steps are always
to eat as much as you can possibly stuff down, have a few beers and relax.
Then, the next couple days we’ll go back to work hard.”
With the PUMA shore base set up, the Puerto Calero Marina in Lanzarote is
now the team’s summer training headquarters. The crew will use the next
two months to test the boat, sails, people and systems.
“Lanzarote was selected for a few reasons,” Read said. “First of all, the
guys on our team who sailed with Ericsson 4 last time trained here and had
a fantastic experience – from the community to the sailing. And, it is the
sailing conditions that we need now in this next phase. This amount of
breeze will allow us to test things that we weren’t able to check in
Newport. That’s the beauty of training in two different places – two
completely different areas, different weather patterns, different water
temperatures – there are all kinds of variables that are critical to
preparation.”
The crew made a very successful trip across the Atlantic Ocean to get to
Lanzarote. Early Monday morning, they completed the Transatlantic Race
2011 at Lizard Point, Cornwall, U.K., securing the provisional win in both
IRC Class 1 and IRC Overall on corrected time. PUMA’s Mar Mostro and crew
traveled the 2,975 nautical mile course in 7 days, 11 hours and 40
minutes.
“There was definitely a celebration,” Read said on the Transatlantic
finish. “And, the result made the trip to Lanzarote much more powerful.
Now that we’ve had almost four days to reflect upon the race, we’re all
really pleased with not only the result, but also with the boat and the
people. We talked about what we can do better and how we can improve. So,
our work list is that much better because of the last four days we’ve
spent together.”
PUMA’s Mar Mostro raced alongside five other boats in IRC Class 1. Rambler
100 (skipper George David) earned line honors on Sunday. 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.
The PUMA crew did not stop at race finish in the U.K., but immediately
turned south to the Canary Islands. In late September, they head to the
race start location of Alicante, Spain. The next racing on the docket is
the Volvo Ocean Race with Leg 1 beginning November 5.
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 (Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 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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