Armel Le Cléac’h crossed the Vendée Globe finish line, setting a new Vendee Globe and solo round-the-world record of 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes and 46 seconds and Alex Thomson crossed the finish line in 74 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds, Alex Thomson has become the fastest British sailor on that route.
Posts tagged Alex Thomson
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Jan 13
Jan 13
ALEX THOMSON RACING-HUGO BOSS- VENDÉE GLOBE 12-13 ARRIVAL
Les Sables d'Olonne, Vendée, France 46º29’28″N 1º47’34″W
Photo assignment for Alex Thomson Racing – Hugo Boss.
He’s done it!!! Alex Thomson takes 3rd place in the 2012/13 Vendee Globe at 07:25:43sec GMT/ 08.25 43sec French time completing in 80 days 18 hours 23 mins and 43 seconds!! SUPERBLY DONE ALEX!
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Nov 12
Nov 12
Vendée Globe Race Start Day
Les Sables d'Olonne, Vendée, France 46º29’08″N 1º47’23″W
Photo assignment for Alex Thomson Racing – Hugo Boss.
Alex Thomson Racing Hugo Boss Vendée Globe Race Start Day.
What an unbelievable day! The Vendée Globe is a phenomena. This morning I woke at 6am and as I was leaving the apartment at 6.30 I could hear a huge crowd gathering with horns blowing and people chanting. It is like a crowd of people gathering at the coliseum in ancient Rome to see the gladiators parade into the arena with the same excitement and energy, and it feels like to me – a thirst for seeing those about to sacrifice themselves to unknown perils..
The team were due to meet at 07.30 and when I arrived just after the 7am the whole team were already onsite and working – this is it!
We gathered together on the hospitality boat with 100 guests and Alex arrives at 8.00. He takes a good breakfast, a weather briefing to finalise the strategy for the Biscay exit and the Portuguese coast and then a physio session and some time with his sports psychologist. At 9.30 he is ready. He says goodbye to his one year old son Oscar and his wife Kate and that is the hardest part. I walk the docks and I see all the skippers arrive with many of them with red eyes from saying goodbye to their families and children and the atmosphere is charged like nothing I have ever experienced in sailing or sport before. First I say goodbye to our team friend Gutek from Poland who received his boat from us 7 weeks ago and has spent literally a few days sailing in preparation for this most extreme of sailing challenges. He is a tough guy but this morning you could see the emotion on his face – and maybe not an inconsiderable amount of fear.
So as the boats leave the dock we take Alex to the race boat where he does a couple of quick TV interviews and the lines are cast off. The most impressive part of the Vendee Globe is the trip of 1 mile down the canal to the open sea. The quay walls are lined with what must have been 400,000 spectators and they do not simply clap and wave – they roar their heads off and chant in appreciation of the brave skippers. As soon and we rounded the corner and I heard the roar the tears were very close. The crowds hang onto every piece of space and there were people in the water and standing on the top of chimney stacks with a deafening cauldron of sound as we exit the canal.
As we reach the end of the canal we take the journalists and our sponsors off the boat as the sea becomes rough and Alex is left with the technical team to make the final preparations. Ross, Clarkee, Rachel, Guillermo, Will, Capey and I stay to the end to set everything up for him and set him on his way. The sea was very rough out in the Biscay today and with a weather front passing over with lots of cloud and rain the Vendee Globe offered us up a foreboding seascape for the start of this epic race. At 15 minutes to the start the sails are set the boat is positioned and Ross, Capey, Rachel and I jump into the support boat and say our goodbyes. I guess when you work on something like this for 3 years and you imagine all the things you will say to Alex as you say goodbye, at the end these clever words of motivation are not necessary and simply a hug, a “love you man” and “come home safe” are all that are really necessary and meaningful. A few wet eyes and it is done – he is off!
Just before the 4 minutes to the race start when the gun sounds, the last remaining crew Clarkee, Will & Guillermo give him a quick hug, and with no time to get the rib alongside, simply step over the side of the boat into the Ocean. We pull them out of the water and he is alone.
A good start, conservative, middle of the fleet, in clear air and we follow him closely on our support boat as we pass by thousands of other spectator boats with (on my last count) 12 helicopters from various TV networks thundering overhead. We follow the boat far out to sea to make sure he does not get tangled with any other spectator boat and eventually soaking wet and seriously bounced around, I look at Ross and he at me and we know it is time. We wait and follow him for another 10 minutes and then I make the call – time to go. So, we buzz alongside, and we shout out Good luck Alex – and he simply turns and gives us a quick wave before going back to helming and looking ahead. In all the time we followed on the support boat (maybe 2 hours in total) I did not see him look back at us behind him once, he knew we were there, but kept his eyes forward and out to sea. And that is it, you turn for home and leave him sail off and meet his own destiny.
For now, the next stage of the journey starts, we communicate with him through email, video and phone and we support him on his journey. We also, as a team get together and have a huge party and celebrate all the work that we have done to get to this point – but shhhhhh, we don’t tell Alex about our party tonight.
Vendée Globe – most special sporting event on the planet (IMHO).
Words: Alex Thomson Racing Team Director: Stewart Hosford
Twitter: @stewarthosford
http://www.alexthomsonracing.com/
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Nov 12
Nov 12
Open 60 Alex Thomson Racing Hugo Boss – Onboard
English Channel, England, United Kingdom, 50º01’31″N 2º47’47″W
Photo assignment for Alex Thomson Racing – Hugo Boss.
Boss à Nova – Alex Thomson ready for the Big Dance.
As the impressive fleet of 20 IMOCAs and their skippers have now assembled in Les Sables d’Olonne for the imminent start of the Vendee Globe, Alex Thomson and his silver dance partner, the Hugo Boss Farr-designed Open 60 share a special spotlight. There are perhaps several reasons for this, the boat itself sports an impeccable paint and branding motif in classic Hugo Boss fashion, the shore team is always well choreographed and on point, and Alex himself is quite a unique character, intense and focused while maintaining a jovial personable aura and an irresistable smile. One of three British skippers in this years edition, Alex is no stranger to the open ocean and is considered a favorite of the fleet despite some formidable competition. The 38 year-old skipper is well rehearsed for this solo around the world performance having recently broken the West to East Ambrose Lighthouse to Lizard Point Under 60ft Single-Handed Monohull Record by more than 24 hours. And as you can see from this onboard photo series, Alex is both an instructor and a dancer, a man of many moods and styles, included but not limited to: The Waltz, The Swing, The Grind, The Ballad, The Bird, The Monkey, The Swim and The Wetusi. With fierce moves like this, the team of Hugo Boss will inevitably tear up the global oceanic dance floor. Put on your dancing boots…
Words: Fred Eagle
10
Oct 12
Oct 12
Open 60 Alex Thomson Racing Hugo Boss – Aerial
English Channel, England, United Kingdom, 49º31’34″N 4º40’07″W
Photo assignment for Alex Thomson Racing – Hugo Boss.
Only one more month to go!!
Aerial photo-shoot of the IMOCA Open 60 Alex Thomson Racing Hugo Boss during a training session before the Vendée Globe in the English Channel.
The Vendée Globe is a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, sailed non-stop and without assistance.
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Jul 12
Jul 12
Alex Thomson Racing- Hugo Boss single-handed monohull transatlantic record
Lizard Point, England, United Kingdom, 49º56’43″N 5º12’20″W
British solo sailor, Alex Thomson has smashed the single-handed monohull transatlantic record, by more than 24 hours, crossing the finish line at Lizard Point, off Falmouth in Cornwall, in time to get back for the London Olympic Opening ceremony.
The 38 year old sailor crossed the line at 17:17GMT (18:17 BST) setting the new time at 8 days 22 hours 8 minutes, beating the previous record, subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council, which had been held for 10 years.
“It has been a long few days,” said Alex. “The first half from New York was great with weather conditions in our favour, but things started to slow down the closer I got. But the wind has held out this morning and it’s so fantastic to have broken this record.”
Alex set sail from New York on July 17th at 19.09GMT to cover 2800 nautical miles in a quest to break the record for what is officially known as the ‘West to East Ambrose Lighthouse to Lizard Point Under 60ft Single-Handed Monohull Record, Male’, which sat at 10 days, 55 minutes and 19 seconds, and was set by Swiss sailor Bernhard Stamm 10 years ago.
His secondary aim was to get home in time for the 2012 London Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in order to support Chairman and good friend, Sir Keith Mills.
“When I set off I had no idea if I was going to be able to do it. And it has been hard. Lack of sleep, broken instruments on the boat and constant exposure to the elements has really taken it out of me. But it’s such a good feeling to have beaten it by such a great margin,” said Alex.
But the record breaking achievement is only half of the story. Alex is in fact lining up to attempt to be the first Brit ever to win the gruelling single-handed round-the-world race, the Vendee Globe, leaving from France in November on board his 60ft monohull, HUGO BOSS. And this record breaking achievement puts him in good stead.
“This record attempt was also a training exercise for the Vendee Globe,” said Alex. “We felt this record attempt would put me under real pressure and stimulate race conditions and I have felt a real value in it.”
He is one of three British competitors who will take part in the non-stop, solo, unassisted round-the-world yacht race starting in Les Sables d’Olonne in France, on November 10th. Currently only 50% of attempts to complete the race have been successful in the race known as the ‘Everest of sailing’.
Lara Ellsworth-Jones, PR Manager, Alex Thomson Racing
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May 12
May 12
Alex Thomson Racing Hugo Boss
Monaco 43º44’11″N 7º25’59″WE
Photo assignment for Alex Thomson Racing/Hugo Boss
After an intensive refit period Thomson also revealed his plans for two gruelling Transatlantic Record attempts as he starts the final countdown to the ultimate offshore race, the Vendée Globe.
Confirming that the Farr designed yacht, purchased in 2011, will be used for the 24,000 mile race, following successful performances during the Transat Jacques Vabre and B2B race in 2011, Thomson showed the impressive new chrome-effect which has been applied during its recent refit.
Thomson revealed that over the coming six months he will be completing over 12,000 training miles on board HUGO BOSS including two single-handed transatlantic record attempts.
“With just six months to go until the start of the Vendée Globe we are really in countdown mode and the focus for me is to spend as much time as possible on-board in training and under race-conditions,” said Thomson. “I’m really happy with the modifications we’ve made to the boat and after the success of the Transat Jacques Vabre and B2B races at the end of last year I’m really itching to get racing again.”
Key events in the lead up to the Vendee Globe:
June – Cadiz to San Salvador (Transatlantic record attempt)
July – New York to UK (Transatlantic record attempt)
August – Cowes Week
November – Vendée Globe
Stewart Hosford, Managing Director of Alex Thomson Racing comments: “We have an exciting year ahead of us and we are looking strong. Our preparation has been great and we are exceptionally committed to the programme for the next 6 months. Alex has been at a fitness training camp and is in very good shape and is extremely focussed on the Vendée Globe in November.
Alex Thomson Racing
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Nov 11
Nov 11
Transat Jacques Vabre 2011 IMOCA 60 Hugo Boss Arrival
Puerto Limon, Costa Rica 9º59’87″N 83º0184″W
At 23h20 GMT on 18th November 2011, British sailor Alex Thomson and his Spanish co-skipper Guillermo Altadill, on-board HUGO BOSS, crossed the finish line of the 2011 Transat Jacques Vabre in 2nd place. Alex’s reaction was one of visible pride at their achievement: ‘I’m ecstatic to have finished the race; it has been a tough 4 years.’
