The PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG team set out on the around-the-world Volvo Ocean Race on November 5, 2011, from Alicante, Spain, and early Tuesday morning they completed the journey they started. PUMA’s Mar Mostro crossed the line in Galway, Ireland – the final port of 10 stops across the globe – in third place, finishing Leg 9 from Lorient, France, at 00:55:01 UTC/01:55:01 local on July 3. The 550 nautical mile sprint took PUMA 1 day, 13 hours, 51 minutes and 1 second to complete. CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand won the final leg followed by the Groupama Sailing Team in second.
PUMA Fastnet Rock
© IAN ROMAN/Volvo Ocean Race
“This leg basically sums up our whole regatta,” said skipper Ken Read. “We’re kind of the tough luck kids. We had a nice little lead with about four hours to go. We knew we would be sailing into lighter air, and sure enough that’s what we did. As soon as we parked, everyone came zipping up from behind. It’s happened so many times in this race. Yes it’s a shame, but we give CAMPER and Groupama credit – they should be very proud and this is a time to congratulate them.”
Leg 9 departed Lorient on Sunday, July 1, with PUMA 30 seconds back from leading Telefónica after the completion of the inshore loop. The fleet spread out, and on Monday morning, PUMA’s Mar Mostro pulled ahead. The PUMA crew led the fleet around Fastnet Rock and up the southern coast of Ireland before hitting lighter air.
“At the end of the day, we’re ending up third overall. But, that’s pretty good considering we were sitting in the middle of the ocean without a mast,” Read said. “This is something we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives.”
PUMA has been on the podium the last 12 scoring opportunities in this year’s race, including offshore legs and In-Port racing. Overall, PUMA has finished among the top three 16 times.
The Volvo Ocean Race started on November 5 in Alicante. The crews have now traveled 39,270 nautical miles around the world, stopping in 10 countries along the way.
The PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG team is under the leadership of Read (Newport, Rhode Island, United States). Collectively, the crew has won the Around the World Race six times. The core includes: Tom Addis, Navigator (Sydney, Australia); Ryan Godfrey, Pitman (Adelaide, Australia); Kelvin Harrap, Helmsman & Inshore Tactician (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, Bowman (Brisbane, Australia); Jonathan “Jono” Swain, Helmsman & Trimmer (Durban, South Africa); Amory Ross, Media Crew Member (Newport, Rhode Island, USA); Kimo Worthington, General Manager (Portsmouth, Rhode Island, United States); and Tim Hacket, Shore Team Manager (Sydney, Australia).
QUOTES
Navigator Tom Addis on Leg 9: "We were in a good position, but just got light today and the guys came up with better pressure. From there, any one of the four boats could have won.”
Skipper Ken Read on Groupama’s overall race win: “They’re fast, they’re smart and that’s a pretty deadly combination. They started off this race pretty far behind, especially in light air. And they made up ground, got better in their weaker areas. I’ve had the opportunity to get to know their team and I really like them as both people and competitors. Congratulations to them.”
RESULTS
Leg 9
POS TEAM TOTAL FINISH UTC ELAPSED
1 CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 30 00:42:13 1d, 13h, 40m, 13s (NORTH SAILS)
2 Groupama Sailing Team 25 00:49:11 1d, 13h, 47m, 11s (NORTH SAILS)
3 PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 20 00:55:01 1d, 13h, 53m, 01s (NORTH SAILS)
4 Team Telefónica 15 00:59:33 1d, 13h, 57m, 33s (NORTH SAILS)
5 Team Sanya 10 1d, 16h, 12m, 27s
6 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 5 1d, 16h, 21m, 29s (NORTH SAILS)
Overall Standings:
POS TEAM OVERALL
1 Groupama Sailing Team 250 (NORTH SAILS)
2 CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand 226 (NORTH SAILS)
3 PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG 220 (NORTH SAILS)
4 Team Telefónica 209 (NORTH SAILS)
5 Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing 129 (NORTH SAILS)
6 Team Sanya 50
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