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Seeing Red

Posted 8 months, 2 days ago

Seeing Red
Ken Read performed for a packed house on Thursday night at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport, R.I., giving a captive audience an overview of his Puma Ocean Racing campaign for the Volvo Ocean Race, which starts in October in Alicante, Spain. As a favorite adopted son of this city by the sea, not to mention a longtime resident, Read could've probably gotten a standing ovation for correctly tying a bowline. But he didn't take the crowd for granted. He was equal parts humble, confident, humorous, and serious. If he's overwhelmed at all by the task at hand, he didn't show it. It also appears that Read isn't taking this tremendous opportunity for granted. While he has carved a very successful career in the sailing industry and he's won more than his share of big races, I have wondered whether he would ever truly stamp his mark on the sport. In my mind—at least if you're an American sailor—you do that in one of three ways: win an Olympic medal, win an America's Cup, or win the Volvo Ocean Race. These three achievements require such an exquisite combination of planning, talent, determination, and luck that they stand the test of time. I don't think you can call Puma a favorite for the VOR crown. That honor, or weight if you prefer, rests with Torben Grael and the two-boat Ericsson campaign. But after last night's presentation I'm moving Puma closer to the top, less of a dark horse and much more of an outside favorite. I was left with three distinct thoughts after the presentation: 1. Read is totally at peace with the commercial nature of the race. His candor is refreshing. He knows the ultimate success of this venture isn't measured in points or trophies, but at the cash register. Puma is onboard to sell its product. I think this is important, as anyone who believes otherwise at the outset will inevitably have to come to grips with this realization. 2. The crew is top notch. Read introduced us to 12 members of the team. Most are not household names. Two, however, stuck out. Navigator Andrew Cape, who just finished second in the Barcelona World Race, and Jonathan McKee. The latter is perhaps the most talented American sailor of his generation, which includes Read himself. He's also extremely motivated to make his mark sailing around the world. He was, by all accounts, more than a little upset about pulling out of the Barcelona World Race after sustaining rudder damage. He will prove an invaluable asset. Add Aussie Chris Nicholson and Frenchman Sidney Gavignet, who was a helmsman with ABN AMRO One last time around, and Read's got himself a stacked core squad. 3. I still can't believe Read stuffed his younger brother in the dryer when they were growing up, or that he has yet to cross the equator. Full Story »

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