AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — United States skipper Ken Read produced a tactical masterstroke to leave the Volvo Ocean Race wide open again Sunday by taking his Puma team past pacesetting Telefonica into second place in the fourth leg.
Read, the oldest captain in the race at 50, left observers scratching their heads midway through the 5,220-nautical mile leg when he headed north in the Pacific toward Japan, apparently in completely the wrong direction for their New Zealand destination.
The experienced campaigner from Rhode Island, Newport, knew what he was doing, picking up vastly superior wind and eventually leading Telefonica home by 50 minutes to claim runner-up spot for the leg between Sanya, China and Auckland.
