Newport Bermuda Race

Puma Racing skipper Ken Read and his Volvo 70 Il Mostro, a rocketship that sails with almost any breeze, were leading the Bermuda Race. Even the fastest boats in the world need some wind to keep moving at a rational pace. Read reported the course to Bermuda as 175 magnetic, and the wind direction as 175 when it registered. This is a deadly combination when the windspeed is in single digits, and shrinking. Alex Jackson's Speedboat was faring little better, and the two fastest boats in the fleet went from looking extraordinary to looking like just another couple of sailboats struggling hard to get from point A to point B. At 1600 EDT on Sunday, Speedboat was making 10 knots, with 143 miles to go. Il Mostro lurked only 34 miles behind, and had a 25 mile lead over Rambler. The new 69-foot Bella Mente was only four miles astern of the 90-foot Rambler, and she seems to excel in the light going. Just behind, Numbers, Blue Yankee, Rosebud, and Moneypenny were all less than 30 miles behind Rambler, which seems a little underpowered in the light stuff with her relatively small headsails. All these big boats average eight to nine knots over the last two-hour reporting period. For boats further back in the fleet - and that means almost everybody - Bermuda seems little more than a distant dream. When you see more than 350 miles to go - and all of them dead upwind - that first dark n' stormy is a long, long time in the future.

Puma Base Boston

The Volvo Ocean Race has confirmed Fan Pier in Boston as the sole North American stopover when the race visits the US East Coast port city in April-May 2009.

Agreement between race organisers to bring the race to Fan Pier has been backed by the city of Boston and has been made possible by the efforts of the local developer Joe Fallon, who is working closely with city officials to ensure a successful, world-class event at the coveted waterfront location - Fan Pier.

The entire stopover facility including berthing for the seven-boat fleet, race village, entertainment complex and haul-out area will be accommodated on a five-acre Volvo Ocean Race zone within the development site.

Two weeks of festivals and local events are planned for the beginning of May 2009, to celebrate the arrival and departure of the Volvo Ocean Race, Boston's maritime history and the sport of sailing.

During the stopover, race organizers will stage a point-scoring In-Port Race in Boston's Outer Harbour, while the Pro-Am Race will be held just off Fan Pier.

Boston is the only North American port stopover for the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race. PUMA, which headquarters its North American operations in the greater Boston area, has entered the race with their boat il mostro representing the U.S. The boat is skippered by Ken Read who has strong ties to the greater Boston area.

At the completion of its stopover at Fan Pier, the re-start of the race continues onto its next port stopover, Galway, Ireland.

Puma in the Water

Two days after PUMA Ocean Racing christened its ferocious black boat il mostro - Italian for The Monster - in Boston Harbor, Ken Read and his crew headed out to sea to complete its 2000-mile qualifier for entry into the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. Il Mostro and PUMA Ocean Racing's other boat, Avanti, left Boston, on a bright sunny day around 10am and will be out on the waters of the Atlantic for the next several days.

The 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Spanning some 39,000 nautical miles, stopping at around 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.

Puma in Volvo Ocean Race

Read has racked up nearly 50 World, National and North American championships, helmed two Americaís Cup campaigns (2000 & 2003) and been named twice the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. Now he is preparing for the ultimate challenge as Skipper of PUMA Ocean Racing. After a full test program completed last summer on both Avanti, the PUMA Ocean Racing training boat, as well as the 90-foot Rambler, where he smashed records race after race, Read and his Newport-based crew are gearing up to be the fastest team to make it around the globe.

The 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain on 4 October 2008, it will for the first time, take in ports in Asia. Spanning some 39,000 nautical miles, stopping at around 11 ports and taking nine months to complete, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier yacht race for professional racing crews.

Botin & Carkeek and Goetz will Build PUMA

Botin & Carkeek will design PUMA's new Volvo Open 70, which will compete in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 and Goetz Custom Boats will build it.

Botin & Carkeek based in Santander, Spain, has been renowned for designing some of the world's fastest racing yachts. The designers have had resounding success in the highly competitive IMS with the GS42R and winning yachts in the Breitling MedCup TP52 class. Marcelino Botin is also the lead designer for Team New Zealand currently sailing in the semi-finals of the America's Cup Challenge Series. Goetz Custom Boats of Bristol, Rhode Island, USA, has an outstanding reputation for building boats for offshore endurance races. Its boats have won the America's Cup, Admiral's Cup and Maxi Worlds and have also competed successfully in three Volvo Ocean Races. PUMA Racing Team's new Volvo Open 70, which will compete in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, will be ready to set sail in early 2008. Currently, the PUMA Racing Team is training locally in New England with their home base in Newport, Rhode Island.