Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk-clunk, Pshhhh. So when the ceremonial smash of the champagne bottle across the thick carbon bowsprit of Puma Ocean Racing's menacingly black boat, il mostro. For its christening at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Arts, the boat's godmother, the dainty, pint-sized actress Salma Hayek, took four unsuccessful whacks before 50-year-old bowman Jerry Kirby, head to toe in hip black duds, stepped out of her shadow to assist with his mighty right hand (years of swinging a hammer had prepared him well for this very ceremony-saving occasion). The humorous moment, highlighted by sweeping spotlights and flashing camera bulbs with each attempt, was fitting. It's better that Kirby, being the crew elder, had a hand in the honors. The pointy prod, after all, is his workspace.

Il mostro's christening on Boston Harbor on Monday night capped off a cold evening of pre-launch happenings that included a first look at the Puma Sailing technical and lifestyle clothing and shoe line, an orchestrated press conference involving Puma's Chairman and CEO, Jochen Zeitz, and Antonio Bertone, Puma's Chief of Marketing. To their stage left sat skipper Ken Read, who introduced his starting sailing team in the order in which he hired them. [Chris Nicholson (watch captain), Kirby (bow), Justin Ferris (trimmer), Casey Smith (bowman), Rick Deppe (media), Andrew Cape (navigator), Michi Mueller (bowman), Jonathan McKee (trimmer/helmsman), Sidney Gavignet (watch captain), and Rob Salthouse (trimmer/helmsman)] To hear Read introduce each of his crewmates, and talk a bit about their respective qualifications, click here

Before and after the brief press conference, the scene bustled with young, hip Puma employees from their headquarters down the street, local and international journalists, the latter flown in to document the occasion, and seemingly anyone else with a hand or commercial interest in the race itself, and specifically the fledgling Boston stopover. Volvo Ocean Race management and media were on hand as well, including the race's newly appointed CEO Knut Frostad (that's k-noot, emphasis on the hard K), who received nary a single acknowledgement at any point in the festivities, but worked the crowd nonetheless.

But it wasn't the VOR's party; it was Puma's big night, the first of many to come when the race starts from Spain this fall, and it was unlike your traditional yacht christening. But Puma prides itself on being far from traditional. Even Zeitz, in his opening press conference remarks, acknowledged that his company's entry into the performance sailing lifestyle was an "unexpected" one, but indicative of the brand's often unpredictable forays into "power and energy sports."

"We're in it to win, but it's not just about winning. We want to participate, we want to have fun," Zeitz  told moderator Guy Swindles (who, in his stark British tone emphasizes P in Puma as if it were "pew." As in "Pew-ma."

Bertone himself, a twenty-something marketing visionary who would appear starkly out of place in any traditional yachtie gathering (read, you'd be hard pressed to find him in a blue blazer) explained that the black and red sneaker-themed paint scheme of the boat is intentionally aggressive. "We said this boat needs to be intimidating; it's important to look mean."

"Sailing is not the easiest to bring to the Puma brand," he added, but they're putting a full effort behind it with what he described as the Puma City, a sizeable structure that would be present at some stopovers along the race route. Contained in this mini city, we're told, will be a Puma retail outfit and official Volvo Ocean Race merchandise topped by a top floor nightclub. Get in line for your VIP access.

While the open bars were teaming all evening, you would have been hard pressed to find the Puma squad belly-up. On their agenda the following day were harbor burns on il mostro for select press and VIPs, and as soon as that wrapped up, a planned 2,000-mile or so blast out to sea and back. With the first bit of hoopla out of the way, it was obvious the guys were itching to ditch their awkward black suits and slip into something much more comfortable, albeit much more wet.