George David’s big Reichel Pugh-designed boat is one of the stars of the Voiles de Saint-Barth. The tactician aboard her is none other than the American skipper Ken Read, who finished second in the last edition of the Volvo Ocean Race on board Puma Racing Team. The sportswear firm has just announced the brand will be back again for the next edition of this crewed classic monohull round the world race with stopovers and Ken Read will be in charge.
Here is what he had to say on St. Barts:
Puma has just announced it is returning to the Volvo with you. Were you expecting this news?
Ken Read: It’s a great day for us. We are of course very excited. Puma is strongly committed to supporting us and has some high ambitions. It will be a huge marketing opportunity for the brand. Puma believes in the value of sport, the value of sailing and the value of the Volvo. Our team is taking on a huge responsibility. Puma has been extraordinary for us and we really have to work hard to make this project a success. We’ve come a long way over the past two months and we still have a lot to do, but all that will be revealed at a later date. All of the work on the design and concept is underway. We are beginning this time with a lot of experience behind us, but after our second place in the previous campaign, we have some lofty ambitions and we’re committed to setting up a faultless project.
In what way is Rambler important in your work towards the Volvo project?
Back in 2008, George David, the owner of Rambler was really nice to us, making Rambler available for us to sail on, while we waited for the boat to be ready. He repeated his generous offer this year and of course, we accepted. Rambler is a work base and a fantastic way to train, particularly for offshore sailing. So we owe a lot to George. Part of the crew from the Volvo is certainly to be found on board Rambler here in St. Barts. We still have a long selection process to complete, and Rambler will once again be very important for us.
After two days of racing in the Voiles de Saint-Barth, how do you feel?
With what I’ve seen since the start of the week, I have no doubt in my mind that you’ll soon be attracting a thousand boats to this event! (Laughs). Seriously, the sailing conditions are quite simply fantastic, quite exceptional. St. Barts is now in my Top five favourite locations in the world for sailing! The island is magnificent, the race committee is doing a remarkable job and the sailing conditions go beyond my wildest dreams!
The whole of the Rambler team decided to take part in spite of the tragic loss of Peter Doriean…
We are giving it our all here for Peter. He would not have wanted anything different and his wife, Nikki insisted that we sailed in his honour. So our pleasure is rather tempered, but for us it’s a question of honour to give it 200% to win and honour Spike’s memory. His wife, Nikki will be here tomorrow. Sailing is the best way for us to overcome our emotions and to pay homage to the memory of our friend.
Ken Read, born on 24th June 1961 in Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the most respected and successful American sailors. On two occasions, he has been named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year” (in 1985 and 1995). He can boast more than forty world titles among his many achievements in a wide range of boat classes going from J/24s to Etchells 22s.
In 2000 and 2003, he was helmsman for Dennis Conner on board Stars and Stripes for the America’s Cup. In 1999 he trained and worked as a tactician for the “Young America” project.
His first experience in the Volvo Race dates back to 2005 when he took part in four legs on Ericsson.
In 2008-2009, he led Puma Racing Team to second place in the Volvo Ocean Race, and in so doing sailed around the world for the first time.