Nicholson stands down

Puma watch leader must recover from knee injury for next week's fourth leg

After a hot Christmas in Singapore, the Puma Ocean Racing team are set for the second In Port race of the Volvo Ocean Race this weekend. Two short 50 minute races are scheduled for Saturday 10 January, with racing taking place just off East Coast Park, Singapore. Jerry Kirby (USA) and Andrew Taylor (NZL) will join the Puma crew for this, bringing the team to a total of 13 crew.

In Alicante, Spain, where the 37,000 nautical mile round the world race began last October, Puma finished the first day of In Port racing in third place. The team intends to beat this in Singapore, where a maximum of four points can be earned from the In Port race day. As the team currently lie in third place overall in the Volvo Ocean Race, this could make a big difference in the overall standings going into Leg Four of the race, which begins at 1300 local (0500 GMT) on Sunday 18th January.

Sailing onboard il mostro for the In Port race will be Puma’s Ocean Racing crew of Ken Read, Skipper; Andrew Cape, Navigator; Justin Ferris, Trimmer; Sidney Gavignet, Trimmer; Jerry Kirby, Bowman; Rob Greenhalgh, Main; Michi Mueller, Grinder/Sewer; Chris Nicholson, Tactician; Rob Salthouse, Pit, Casey Smith, Bowman, Shannon Falcone, Trimmer/Pit and Andrew Taylor, Grinder. Rick Deppe, Puma’s Media Specialist will also be onboard providing a live video stream straight from the boat.

Puma Ocean Racing skipper Ken Read commented: “We are all fired up for the In Port race here in Singapore this weekend. We have a lot of talented sailors in the Puma team who have a history of racing around the buoys on short courses like this, so we’re looking forward to some close racing. The Singapore stopover has been a good opportunity for us to strip the boat back and ensure everything’s in good working order. We’ve been out sailing for the last couple of days tuning and making some final adjustments, as well as checking out the race course here in Singapore.”

Following the In Port race, the Puma team will have a busy final week in Singapore preparing for the start of Leg Four, from Singapore to Qingdao, China. Last minute preparations include loading the boat with food, sails, equipment and spares as well as ensuring the crew have essential rest before physically and mentally demanding leg which takes the Puma team northeast into freezing temperatures.

While he will brave the In Port race on Saturday, Chris Nicholson (is unable to sail Leg Four due to a serious knee injury sustained in Leg Two. In an incident which washed one of the other crewmembers back along the deck, colliding with Chris’s leg with force, Chris snapped both the anterior cruciate ligament and medial ligament in his right knee, an impact injury more commonly seen on the rugby or soccer field. Having endured the third leg wearing a supportive brace, Chris must fly home to Australia next week to undergo surgery. Chris hopes to re-join the team later in the race, depending on recovery time. Rob Greenhalgh (UK) will therefore sail as Watch Captain for Leg Four, and Erle Williams (NZL), who has over 25 years of Volvo Ocean Race/Whitbread experience, will race onboard as a Trimmer/Helmsman.

Chris Nicholson commented: “I’m flying home to be operated on next Wednesday, and hope the recovery process can be as rapid as possible so that I can be back before the end of the race. I have been involved in this project for 18 months now and to have my plans changed so suddenly, it’s not a good feeling at all.”