Alex Thomson\u2019s dreams of winning the 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe are over, after Hugo Boss suffered rudder damage on Friday evening (27 November)The enormously popular skipper has announced that he is retiring from the Vend\u00e9e Globe, and is currently heading to Cape Town.
\nSpeaking from Hugo Boss today, a clearly emotional Thomson said: \u201cIt\u2019s taken me a few days to digest what\u2019s happened and gather my thoughts. I\u2019m normally a very positive person but if I\u2019m honest right now I feel pretty broken.
\n\u201cFor the best part oft 20 years this race has been my goal; we\u2019ve come pretty close before and this time I really thought it was possible. I have the boat of my dreams, we put together a campaign I\u2019m extremely proud of and despite the setbacks of the last week I still thought it was possible \u2013 to win, or at the very least finish.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve given my life to this sport and it\u2019s a very difficult pill to swallow.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rudder damage came just hours after Thomson reported that Hugo Boss was back up to full pace and heading into the Southern Ocean, following lengthy repairs he had made to the internal structure of the IMOCA last week.
\nAfter discovering cracking to some of the longitudinal structures in the bow area last week, Thomson consulted his team on how to make an effective repair and worked through the nights from Sunday to Thursday to effect a complex jigsaw of carbon plates and laminate to reinforce the area. He had confirmed that he and his team were confident in the repairs and that he was back in race mode, only to suddenly lose steerage shortly after.
\n\u201cI was averaging 21 knots, flying the small gennaker and one reef in the mainsail,\u201d Thomson reported. \u201cI was down below when there was a huge bang and the boat broached violently. The steering system was jammed and all I could do was roll the sails away.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
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\u201cOnce on deck I could see the rudder blade was broken and swinging around with a large piece of fishing gear jammed into the cracks. So I think I must have hit something. It certainly looks that way.
\n\u201cNow I am having to keep the boat flat while I sail the boat now with just one rudder to Cape Town.\u201d
\nWith the rudder damage deemed irreparable, Thomson had no option but to announce his retirement from the Vend\u00e9e Globe, a decision he described as \u2018heart-breaking\u2019.
\nCarbon panels on the deck of Hugo Boss: Thomson had to cut up spare materials to make structural repairs in the South Atlantic whilst racing in the Vend\u00e9e Globe
\n\u201cThis sport, and this race is just so tough, things can change so quickly, but that\u2019s the beauty of it and it\u2019s so challenging and that\u2019s why I\u2019ve given a large part of my life to it,\u201d he said today.
\n\u201cThe messages of support from the fans have just been incredible, I really don\u2019t feel worthy.
\n\u201cBut also from the other skippers and the teams, your words have really touched me, I sincerely hope you all make it safely to the finish.<\/p>\n
Many of his Vend\u00e9e Globe competitors voiced their shock and sadness at Thomson\u2019s news. Journalist and solo skipper Fabrice Amedeo, who is racing in 25th place, expressed many in the sport\u2019s thoughts when he sent a message saying:
\n\u201cThe Vend\u00e9e Globe has lost one of its favourites. But our race lost more than that. Alex has revolutionised our sport: his boats are always the most beautiful and are one step ahead of those of his competitors. Alex modernised communication in sailing by exploding all the barriers: Keel Walk, Mast Walk, Sky Walk. He is unique in our sport.
\n\u201cThe Vend\u00e9e Globe needs Alex Thomson\u2019s victory. I hope it will be 2024. And on top of all that, Alex is nice and he is modest. The race loses not just a favourite but also today, a great man. I wish the best to him and his whole team.\u201d
\nSkipper Alex Thomson in Hugo Boss\u2018s radically designed \u2018inside\u2019 cockpit
\nThomson\u2019s departure from the race will be a big blow to the Vend\u00e9e Globe\u2019s international appeal. He is the only other non-French skipper to have equalled Ellen MacArthur\u2019s famous 2nd place in 2001, when he finished 2nd in the last race having sailed much of the race with a broken foil. On top of his 3rd place in 2013 this makes him the most successful British entry in the Vend\u00e9e Globe, as well as the most experienced (this is his 5th attempt).
\nThomson is also the British skipper who has most successfully bridged the gap between sailing and mainstream sports and news coverage since MacArthur. During the 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe he vlogged from the race, showing off Hugo Boss\u2019s multi-directional cameras to show fans a panoramic view of the race.
\nThe team had installed a data \u2018Hub\u2019 on their website to share statistics such as boat speed, heel angle, decibel levels, even the skippers\u2019 heart rate and the amount of sleep Thomson had managed. It was typically professional, addictive stuff and absolutely brilliant at communicating the sport of offshore racing to followers who have never experienced it.
\nCracks and structural damage marked out on Hugo Boss, which Thomson discovered three weeks into the Vend\u00e9e Globe race in the bow area
\nBut whilst Thomson may be a brilliant communicator, he is above all a competitor and his gut-wrenching disappointment at having to step out of the race he had spent two decades trying to win is clear. His voice cracked as he said:
\n\u201cTo my team, thank you for your dedication, your hard work, I know you couldn\u2019t have done more. But also to our partners, you\u2019ve worked tirelessly with us, and you\u2019ve shown such dedication, such loyalty.
\n\u201cI couldn\u2019t quite make history this time around but I can tell you I gave it everything, everything I\u2019ve got.\u201d
\nThe post \u2018Broken\u2019 Alex Thomson retires from 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe after rudder damage appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alex Thomson\u2019s dreams of winning the 2020 Vend\u00e9e Globe are over, after Hugo Boss suffered rudder damage on Friday evening (27 November)The enormously popular skipper has announced that he is retiring from the Vend\u00e9e Globe, and is currently heading to … <\/p>\n