For while Ericsson 4's third place was enough to give them the spoils of the Volvo Ocean Race war, PUMA claimed a battle that held no small amount of significance.
It has been thoroughly documented that Read's team, the race's bridesmaid's by his own earlier admissions, have been the nearly men of this event. They had taken top three spots at 11 of 16 offshore scoring opportunities coming into this leg and only claimed their first win of any sort in the Galway in-port race.
But offshore sailing is the essence of this event and their lack of ultimate glory on any of the legs had been a gaping hole on their scorecard. Tonight, in winning a fantastically close battle with Ericsson 3, they laid that ghost to rest.
"Winning boat races is something our crew have done their whole lives," Read said. "It has been frustrating, always being the bridesmaid, but you know what? It's better late than never.
