Puma's sea monster "Mar Mostro" swims and sails. That much is clear after the first test drives off Newport in the US state of Rhode Island. Designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian with the help of the Puma Design Team, the new racer with its sweeping stern, almost vertical sides and pronounced kink in the hull differs only slightly from the new Volvo 70 from the competition. No wonder, as Telefonica and Groupama also commissioned Kouyoumdjian, who also designed the previous VOR winners ABN Amro One and Ericsson 4. This makes Juan K the top dog in a miniature field that will consist of a maximum of six boats.
The Puma people are very proud of the boat exterior with the tentacles of a giant squid, splashes of water and the wild cat from the company logo. It's not just eye-candy, but also a thematic continuation of the boat graphics from the last VOR and the maintenance of tradition in a race that is very much about media impressions favoured by spectacular photos and videos. The theme, says Puma, will also recur in the apparel Puma markets through the Volvo Ocean Race.
Skipper Ken Rad, who has to ensure that the graphic aspect is not the only outstanding feature of the boat, is optimistic after the first training runs: "The monster is in the water and we want to let it off the line," the American said. "I've said it many times: you win or lose races like this before the start. The designers have done their job, now it's up to us sailors." Among these sailors is the German bowman Michael Müller from Kiel.
What's next? After the first training sessions, which are currently taking place off Newport, the boat will take part in the New York Yacht Club Regatta next weekend. It will then be transferred to Europe at racing speed as part of the Transatlantic Race, where training will continue in Lanzarote on the Canary Islands. The Volvo Ocean Race starts at the beginning of November in Alicante (Spain) and continues via Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajaí (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon, (Portugal), Lorient (France) to Galway (Ireland), where the finish will take place in July 2012 after a total of around 39,000 miles.
To the Team page.
