Boomless PUMA takes second place in Qingdao

This is one of the first pictures taken of PUMA coming in to Qingdao today after recapturing second place, behind Telefonica Blue in the fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, while sailing without a boom. The sail profile looks fine for reaching conditions, rigged to a pulley system to allow adjustments. It shows what can be done, even when a boom snaps.

Picture courtesy of the PUMA racing team.

Puma leads by a whisker

Puma is leading by a whisker in what is expected to be a cold, harsh, fourth leg of the Volvo Ocean Race to Qingdao in China. I sailed with the Puma crew a few days ago in Singapore and their preparation looked superb. Team Origin member Rob Greenhalgh has fitted in well, trimming the main. Imagine a concentrated 2,500 mile sprint with no let up the whole way.

"It’s ridiculous," says Ken Read, Puma's skipper. "Every moment of the day at sea is spent trying to make the boat run fast. We get three hour position reports so the intensity is maintained the whole time. It’s like a day race that just happens to last weeks at a time."