It is hard to believe that almost exactly a year ago we launched il mostro here in Boston. It was not the most pleasant of weather for a boat launch. None of us knew what lay ahead at that stage but like most of this race, you deal with what is immediately in front of you at the time. So we got through the boat launch with Salma Hayek, we have gotten the boat to Spain for the start, and we have taken the boat around the world to find ourselves again back in Boston - still unsure of what lays ahead of us for the final sprint to the finish. Although there are only a few months left of the race there are plenty of points to be earned in this final stretch so we have to remain focussed on the job in hand.
This stopover has been very busy for the PUMA team but it has been a great opportunity for us to have a little extra time with the boat and catch up on some things that we had kept on the back burner during some of the recent shorter stopovers. The boat is in great shape for this stage of the race. Our entire shore team has done an amazing job of keeping the boat in the great condition - especially if we were to list what she has been through this race thus far.
The other things that have kept us pretty busy here are the fact that this really is what feels like the home of the team. All the great support we have had from all the Boston public and PUMA employees who work at the PUMA HQ just near the race village has been great. Many of them we have met and had sail with us at some point and it's always nice to see familiar faces again. A lot of them have helped us out with the unusual requests that come out of this race- probably did not help our cause when our boss Antonio Bertone caught a few of us checking out someone in the race village only to find out it was his wife as he went to greet her... he seems to have forgiven us!
It really does appear that there is a lot of community support for our team and this race which is always great to see and appreciate. We leave Boston in a few days time and still find ourselves, especially the sailing team, looking at everything we can do to hopefully strengthen our position on the points table. We are not giving up on the fact that there are enough points left to finish this race pushing every team as they are thinking the same about us. The mileage may be getting smaller but there is plenty more to unfold. It’s not over by a long shot.
-Neil Cox
