News & Interest

Live from China – The Kenny Read show / SOLD OUT

01/29/09
01/29/09 Newport RI, Sail Newport treated a capacity crowd to a fun and interesting evening with Kenny Read and Company at the Jane Pickens. Kenny was brought to the event live via video link live from China. The high tech hook-up enabled Kenny to speak directly to the audience, take questions, and chat with his brother Brad and team mate Jerry Kirby who were actually there.

The timing was perfect as PUMA just completed the crazy passage from Singapore – finishing 2nd. Big seas, big winds and heading north in January scattered and broke the fleet. PUMA snapped their boom, other boats were force to retire and there was the finger drama.

The technology that’s bringing us the Volvo Ocean Race is really changing the game. The crowd loved the images and live communication with the PUMA crew. It’s very cool to have Kenny (in China) and Jerry (in Newport) in the same room interacting with the same crowd; and if you haven’t been to the Jane Pickens that just adds to the experience. You could say it’s cozy, but there is nothing high tech about it.

Brad Read checks in: “The event was very good. We had high expectations and we met them. Mike Smith from Jane Pickens and Vinnie Pattavina form Sail Newport were up in the booth “hot swapping” the computers, Ipods, setting up skype calls etc. The original plan was to talk live to the boat via a teleconference through a server in the UK linked by satellite with il mostro. The reaching conditions brought them into China a bit quicker, so we went to plan b which turned out to be a straight video skype call. We got lucky with a perfect connection and there were no delays. We sold out the theatre with 430 people! There is talk of 2 more events. One in early April and one after the finish.

Boston will be a huge deal. Loads of volunteer opportunities, tons of great kid activities, the spectacle of the boats will be front and center at fan pier. The restart is hoped to be a quick windward leeward out in front of the city front then out of the harbor and across the pond to Galway. It was really great to have so many people there to watch the presentation. As Kenny told the assembled masses. Newport is the hometown for PUMA Ocean Racing and he is humbled by the huge amount of support from our community ”

Puma Ocean Racing
Sail Newport
image / Rick Tomlinson /Volvo Ocean Race

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