[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The “Monster of the Sea”, designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and constructed at New England Boatworks in Portsmouth, is “on the loose” and parading her original design conceived by Bertone and PUMA’s London-based brand design team, GBH.

“We wanted to create a livery that represents the non-stop battle between the team and the sea,” said Mark Bonner, creative director at GBH.

Mar Mostro, hand-painted by artist Dean Loucks, has been seized by the tentacles of a giant red octopus, while PUMA ‘s trademark “Cavitation Cat” emerges from the bubbles spun by the BERG propellers on to the bow.

“Every element is made virtually from either the monster or the water itself, and our aim was to create an interplay that really comes alive in photography when the boat’s design connects with the real waterline of the sea, especially at high speed,” explained Bonner.

The vibrant red tentacles holding onto a BERG propeller continue onto the sails where they meet with the new PUMA “Aqua Cat”, emerging from the waves.

Puma's Mar Mostro testing. Newport, 2 June 2011. Photo copyright Dan Armstrong

“PUMA’s Mar Mostro has its own personality. It’s the story of a boat that sailed around the world, and somehow the boat and the oceans became one,” said Antonio Bertone, PUMA chief marketing officer.

“With sustainability as a focus for PUMA, we looked at how to bring respect for the waters and sea life into a central design theme,” he continued.

“We also wanted the scheme to show appreciation for the innovative design Juan K created. It’s nice that we’ve done this before. Now we’ve evolved, creating a boat that’s visually and physically powerful, and we’re ready to go out there,” said Bertone.

In addition to a bright five square meter orange propeller underneath the boat as a safety mark, other surprise features can be spotted across the boat if you look closely.

“Mar Mostro is in the water and we’re eager to let her loose,” said Ken Read, the team’s skipper. “We worked with the best of the best to develop this boat – from the genius of Juan K to the dedicated team at Customline Yachts and New England Boatworks.”

The team will race in the New York Yacht Club’s 157th Annual Regatta (10-12 June) in Newport, R.I., before competing in the Transatlantic Race in July. Following arrival in Europe, their training base will be relocated to Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands.

“As I have said before, these races are won or lost before the start. Our entire design and build team has done their job amazingly well, now it’s up to the sailors to keep the momentum going.”

Puma's Mar Mostro testing. Newport, 2 June 2011. Photo copyright Dan Armstrong

Puma's Mar Mostro testing. Newport, 2 June 2011. Photo copyright Dan Armstrong