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Puma Sailing Team

The “Monster of the Sea” has splashed into the waters of Newport

mardi 7 juin 2011Redaction SSS [Source RP]

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PUMA’s Mar Mostro, the “Monster of the Sea,” has splashed into the waters of Newport, Rhode Island, USA, and training is underway for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012 under the skilled hand of PUMA Ocean Racing Skipper Ken Read. With the completion of the Volvo Open 70 and a full crew in place, preparations will continue for PUMA Ocean Racing powered by BERG Propulsion throughout the summer.

Designed by Juan Yacht Design of Valencia, Spain, and constructed at New England Boatworks, Inc., in Portsmouth, R.I., the third generation Volvo Open 70 monohull was uniquely created to sail around the world and face extreme conditions. With a distinct chine that runs from bow to stern, PUMA’s Mar Mostro design was tested thoroughly by Juan Kouyoumdjian’s team based on input by the veteran PUMA Sailing Team. The yacht weighs 14 metric tons, with a 4.5 meter draft and 5.5 meter beam, and it can reach speeds of more than 40 knots during the race.

“I’m very happy with the work done so far,” said Kouyoumdjian. “The boat is very well-built, and after the first weeks of sailing, the overall feeling has been very positive. Congratulations to PUMA and the construction team. We will now support the team through the development phase and be ready for the race.”

Juan Yacht Design is also credited with designing previous Volvo Ocean Race winners, ABN-AMRO One and Ericsson 4.

“Mar Mostro is in the water and we’re eager to let her loose,” said Read. “We worked with the best of the best to develop this boat – from the genius of Juan K to the dedicated team at Customline Yachts and New England Boatworks. As I have said before, these races are won or lost before the start. Our entire design and build team has done their job amazingly well, now it’s up to the sailors to keep the momentum going.”

The PUMA Ocean Racing crew has commenced off-shore training on the new Volvo 70 using Newport, R.I., as a base. Participation in the New York Yacht Club’s 157th Annual Regatta (June 10-12) in Newport, R.I., is on the schedule before the team completes in the Transatlantic Race 2011 in July. Following arrival in Europe, their training base will be relocated to Lanzarote, Spain, in the Canary Islands.

- Press info www.puma.com/sailing



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