The Puma Ocean Racing crew was bashed around by the Southern Ocean and held off two challengers in a tactical match race to win Leg 5 of the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, sailing from Auckland, New Zealand, to Itajaí, Brazil.
The 11-member crew aboard Puma’s Mar Mostro crossed the line at 16:09.51 local/19:09.51 UTC on April 6, finishing the leg in 19 days, 18 hours, 9 minutes and 50 seconds. It marked the first leg win of this year’s race for the Puma team.
“Unbelievable!” said skipper Ken Read after arrival. “Nobody quit and the atmosphere on the boat today was really cool – laid back and everybody was ready to tackle the task at hand. I’m very proud of this team. It’s a great feeling.”
