En puma i natten

Pumas nya båt på väg från Goetz Custom Boats till Newport. Foton: Sally Collison/PUMA Ocean Racing

What began at 4am under the darkness of night and a full moon, ended more than two hours later in the morning dawn. Following an arduous 20 mile trip, PUMA Ocean Racing’s new boat for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 made its way from Goetz Custom Boats in Bristol, Rhode Island to the Newport Shipyard in Newport, where it will receive final preparations before going in the water.

“I am just incredibly pleased with the effort that went into the boat design and build process. We started building just over 6 months ago and finished within days of our goal,” said Ken Read, Skipper, PUMA Ocean Racing. “Everyone at Custom Line Yachts, Goetz Custom Boats, our designers at Botin & Carkeek and the engineering firm Gurit have worked incredibly hard to get this boat ready and do what they do best: build what we hope is a very fast boat. Now I am looking forward to the chance to do what we as a team can do best: and that’s go out and sail.”

PUMA’s new racing yacht left Goetz Custom Boats at 4:07am Eastern time under the power of a 16-liter VT800 Volvo Truck. What normally takes 25 minutes for passenger cars took more than 2 hours as the wide load and 70-foot boat had to navigate over a closed 2-lane bridge, around streets signs, through narrow turns and over curbs. A dense layer of fog on the historic Mt. Hope Bridge, made for an especially tricky but photo-worthy drive. At 6:25 with the sun slowly rising, PUMA’s new boat arrived at the Newport Shipyard.

“We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but this is certainly an important milestone for both PUMA Ocean Racing and our new boat,” said Read. PUMA Ocean Racing will reveal the name and look of its boat on May 12th when the yacht will be christened in Boston Harbour at the The Institute of Contemporary Art. PUMAOceanRacing.com, the team’s website, will launch in early May.

A Massive Undertaking: PUMA Ocean Racing’s new boat for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 prepares to move out of the Goetz Custom Boats facility Tuesday morning in Bristol, Rhode Island on its way toward Newport Shipyard where it will be launched into the water next week.

The Scenic Route: 70-feet of carbon are transported over the Mt. Hope Bridge under a blanket of fog Tuesday morning as PUMA Ocean Racing’s new yacht for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 is transported by Volvo Trucks from Goetz Custom Boats in Bristol, Rhode Island to the Newport Shipyard.

The Final Phase: The Newport Shipyard in Newport, Rhode Island, welcomed its newest resident on Tuesday morning, as PUMA Ocean Racing’s new boat for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 was transported from Goetz Custom Boats to Newport for its final preparations before launching.