PUMA's il mostro is about 35 miles from their arrival into Qingdao. The team is expected to finish Leg Four at around 1700 local time (0900 GMT).
To say that Leg Four has been eventful would be an understatement. PUMA led the fleet in the early days of the leg only to have a major upset when their boom broke in half. il mostro sheltered in a harbor off the coast of the Philippines to ride out the nasty weather. Waiting on anchor for 24 hours, the crew was feeling the pain for having their lead snatched away. Spirits were low but the team held it together, figured out a solution and raised anchor in the early morning on January 25.
Sailing with no boom, the feeling from the boat was mixed. The crew was safe but it would be a very difficult leg and chances of a podium finish were quickly disappearing. As the week progressed the fleet started to thin out, due to damage to almost every boat. Telefonica Blue, Ericsson 3 and Delta Lloyd were all forced to suspend racing while the Green Dragon was seriously slowed down by structural problems. But something strange was happening...PUMA, with no boom, was quickly checking off the miles and gaining on fleet lead leaders Telefonica Blue and Ericsson 4. It looked as though Ken and crew were not only going to make it to China but they were also going to finish in the top three.
We're now in the final hours of Leg Four and PUMA's il mostro is currently in second place behind Telefonica Blue. The mood on the boat is good. As Kenny wrote in a few days ago, "Guys sailing on this boat are studs. No fear."
The city of Qingdao and the whole PUMA Ocean Racing family are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our team. We'll make sure to have a big cup of hot chocolate (or a cold beer) waiting for the crew, they more than deserve it.
