A Nibble From Puma Ocean Racing's Neil Cox

From The Kitty's Shore Manager, September 24,2009:

"Is there life after the completion of the Volvo Ocean Race? Yes there certainly is, and it has been great to be able to step back into it.

The end of the race leaves you both mentally and physically tapped out- regardless of your position in the team. You really need to just walk away for a while, even if its just to gain perspective again as to what was important to you before the Volvo bug took over your life for the last year and a half.

That been said- we still have il mostro sitting in a yard in Sweden since getting her out of Russia after the final leg. We have some what put the band back together with a mixture of sailing and shore team to launch and set up for our delivery down to Alicante Spain . All going as planned, we will be leaving at the end of this month (in a few days). Onboard we have Andrew Cape (navigator, PUMA), Casey Smith (bowman, PUMA), Nick Dana (PUMA shore team), Adrian(aka Spider Read) Grey (PUMA shore team), Mike Pammenter (T-Black) and myself doing what is the last leg post race to the boat’s winter home- which is also the new home of the Volvo Ocean Race .

It’s not the best time of year to be putting a boat back in the water in Sweden and sailing across the Bay of Biscayne, but looking on the bright side, the further south we go the warmer we get. The plan for the boat once we arrive is yet to be decided but at least with the boat in Spain it- leaves many opportunities open.

We’ll keep you posted.

Neil Cox – shore team manager, PUMA Ocean Racing"

Ericsson Racing: Say's Good-bye To Volvo Ocean Race

Press Release:
"CLOSING A WINNING CAMPAIGN"

KISTA, Stockholm (September 17, 2009) - Ericsson first entered the Volvo Ocean Race in April 2005, but now its journey has drawn to a close. The team’s victory in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 is the perfect closing chapter to the company’s involvement in the globe-girdling race. After having attained overall victory and great business-to-business success, Ericsson has decided not to participate in the 2011-12 edition.

The decision was not easy for Ericsson, since the race has served us extremely well and the feedback from our customers is great. But we achieved everything we hoped for and thus it is now natural to pause and seek out new opportunities.

Ericsson has built its global reputation on the core values of respect, professionalism and perseverance. The results achieved by Ericsson Racing Team both off shore and on shore truly reflect these values. There are many people, partners and colleagues around the world that contributed to our success, too many to mention here. Ericsson Racing Team is champion of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 due to their professionalism and dedication.
To everyone involved we say thank you!

Keep you eyes open for the Nordic Edition of the official Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 book, High Seas, High Stakes, that will be available from November 2009.

Ericsson Racing Team

News Bite From Istanbul Europa Race

"Just as in the third leg of the race, the Istanbul Europa fleet have
once again found the Mediterranean's weather gods in capricious mood. Now approaching the Alboran Sea, the last stretch of the Med before the Straits of Gibraltar and the frontier with the Atlantic, the sailors are experiencing the robust conditions of a low pressure
system: squalls, thunderstorms, flashes of lightning and sudden,
brutal bursts of acceleration as they are caught by the fierce gusts.
And as the boats pass Cap Palos, the battle for places in the ranking
is fiercer than ever." Read More On The Final Leg Of The Istanbul Europa Race

Closing In On Nice, France: Istanbul Europa Race Nibble

"Even with less than 300 miles to the finish of the first leg of the Istanbul Europa Race, the positioning and posturing is still going on, with no clear benefit or preference on either side of the course as the leaders close on Nice. Michel Desjoyeaux and the crew of Foncia has stolen the theoretical lead by virtue of their gains in the west closer to the island of Sardinia. A small shift and the ability to skirt more around the outside of a blocking bubble of high pressure has been the key to Foncia's gain today." ~ Further Reading

Moth Sailing Video Bite: Australian Sailor Rohan Veal's View

From the sharp Nautical Photographer Amory Ross, who convinced Australian Moth Sailor Rohan Veal to wear his head-cam for this entertaining footage from the 2009 Worlds:



You'll catch a glimpse of Puma's Sailors as well.

Enjoy!