As skipper of the PUMA Ocean Racing entry in the 2008-09 race, American Ken Read is overseeing both the design/build programme in his native Newport, Rhode Island.
Q: How important is the entry of the PUMA brand into professional sailing?
A: I had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to be a wild and crazy ride and very different and I was 100 per cent right. PUMA, the whole company, thinks so far outside of the box that it’s spectacular. A breath of fresh air is a wonderful thing from time to time. As a company they are so into this – the products that are going to be introduced, the technical gear they will produce. The next couple of years are going to be a fun ride. We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg so far. Sailing is going to be a better place because of companies like PUMA.
Hopefully this is a great start for a new wave of companies getting involved in sailing! - SK
You can read the rest of the Q&A with Ken Reed at http://www.volvooceanrace.org/
