Saturday, August 29, 2009

Istanbul Europa Race: Leg One To Nice

"The Istanbul Europa Race, in the prestigious IMOCA class, is the latest great sailing race in the yachting calendar. Its long course through Europe is to make it a major sporting event from its very first edition. In the great tradition of stage races, the Istanbul Europa Race will bring together a fleet comprised of some of very best sailors of our time, taking them on an ideal course and offering a genuine invitation to travel." ~ Read More About Event...


Since the end of 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, it's been a hoot tracking down it's alumni and seeing what they are up too next. Partly to pass the time while we wait for the launch of Spanish Castle To White Night and also as a spectator who is constantly impressed with these tireless guys who can't get enough!



Hey, there is another distraction wrapped in this event - VIRTUAL REGATTA!!! Play along with the race!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Sailing World Scoops Up Volvo Ocean Race Book Sales

It's official scoop, Sailing World Magazine will be the exclusive point-of-sale for the US market of Volvo Ocean Race fans and adventure enthusiasts alike. I'm pleading the 5th on this arrangement, but some good news...the deal has made the book/DVD set a tad cheaper for the US buyer:



The book is running on schedule and the publisher, Dakini has a craft for producing beautiful products made to a high standard of quality. They DID NOT pay me to say that, played with the samples provided in Alicante.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Puma Bloopers!

Just In From Puma PR Peeps:

"Just because the Volvo Ocean Race is over does not mean that we've fallen asleep here at PUMA Ocean Racing. In fact, we have been working on a few films. Here is the first post race films, The Blooper Reel of PUMA's il mostro.

After nine months of sailing around the world, and being filmed in the process, the crew got used to have MCM Rick Deppe's camera on deck. It just seemed natural to have film rolling 24 hours a day. Luckily for us, there were some memorable quotes thought up by Ken Read and his team."

The Blooper Reel of PUMA Ocean Racing is now available for viewing and download at:


Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Kitty Bite: PUMA Makes An Impressive Debut At Moth Worlds 2009

The Moth Worlds have come and gone, but a lovely re-cap from the Puma Press Peeps on an excellent debut:

Brad Funk Places in the Top Ten Sailing a PUMA Bladerider Moth!

"Boston, MA (August 18, 2009) – PUMA Ocean Racing Ambassador, Brad Funk of Florida made an impressive debut at the Moth Worlds 2009 on The Gorge in Cascade Locks, Oregon USA, sailing a PUMA Bladerider Moth. Well known for his Laser sailing, Funk placed in the top ten in the overall competition. PUMA had two branded Moths at The Gorge.

PUMA Moth sailors were outfitted in pieces from the PUMA Sailing Performance collection on and off the water. Their gear included the PUMA One Design Spray Top, PUMA’s Windstopper Softshell Jacket, PUMA Sailing One Design Shorts and Sailing Barrel Bags, which were a favorite of the PUMA Ocean racing team on their boat il mostro during the Volvo Ocean Racing 2008-2009.

Starting out in the Moth is no simple task and the class includes some of the best dinghy sailors in the world. Many of the sailors who are in the top half of the fleet have been sailing the Moth for at least two years. That’s the normal amount of time it takes for a sailor to get comfortable and really proficient at sailing this highly technical boat. But Brad, who has been sailing the Moth on and off for a year and never in a competitive situation, has found the boat to be exciting and challenging. Judging from his eighth place finish at Moth Worlds, he’s catching on quickly.

What makes his eighth place even more impressive is that Brad is still training full time in his Laser, working on a campaign for the 2012 Olympics. Immediately after hitting the beach on Saturday, Brad jumped a flight headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia for Laser Worlds.

“I’m really happy to have finished in the top ten at Moth Worlds. My goal going into the event was to try and hang with the top guys. I’m still learning about the boat and there are still things that I need to work on, but I’m making progress.”

“This boat requires a lot more attention to detail than Laser sailing. There is always boat work to be done and little tweaks to be made. At first I found this really frustrating because I just wanted to get out there and sail, but I’m learning that the extra time you spend working on the boat really does make a difference out on the water.”

“Now it’s time to put the Moth sailing to the side for bit and focus on sailing my Laser. But I’ll be back on the Moth soon- it’s nice to be able to switch up my routine once in a while. The Moth class has great potential to give our sport some new excitement. It will be interesting to see what’s possible as the level of talent and boats progress, and it will be fun to see what a company like PUMA can bring to the class.”

Brad first joined the PUMA family during the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Boston. He, along with wife and Olympic gold medalist Anna Tunnicliffe sailed the PUMA Moths and served as PUMA Sailing Ambassadors. Brad and Anna help coach a PUMA Moth clinic, inviting local college sailors to try the Moths on Boston Harbor. Over the course of six days, the coaches introduced approximately thirty college sailors to the Moth and PUMA Sailing. Brad and Anna also joined the PUMA Ocean Racing crew il mostro for a day of training prior to the start of Leg 6 in the Volvo Ocean Race.
"

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Share Your Thoughts: New Cover For Volvo Book

"Spanish Castle To White Night" has a new look:



In case you forgot what the old cover was:



Do you think the change was good?

You can post your feedback on this post or on the Fan Page, thank you!!

PS (Pardon, bit of a mini sales pitch) The book comes with the 90 minute DVD, BUT you can just purchase the DVD alone. If you are like me, live a very "lite lifestyle" where beautiful books are hard to move about, DVD...pretty sweet alternative!!!