Alex Thomson fights to keep his lead in the New York to Vendée Race
by Alex Thomson Racing 3 Jun 2016 17:39 BST
3 June 2016
Alex Thomson onboard HUGO BOSS is leading the way in the penultimate race before he embarks on the Vendée Globe in November. The fleet have had to contend with obstacles in the water seeing some of Thomson's biggest rivals head back to Newport, Rhode Island for repairs before re-joining the race.
Thomson has crossed the half way mark and is leading the fleet as he heads towards Les Sable d'Olonne, France onboard his IMOCA 60 racing yacht in the Ocean Masters New York to Vendee Race.
In the last 24 hours Thomson has had to battle with 40 knots of wind over the deck and sleep deprivation as he fights to keep a podium position. Overnight Thomson has had to make repairs to the electronic system onboard, a difficult task to achieve in such extreme weather conditions.
As Alex heads towards the finish line in Les Sable d'Olonne the winds will become lighter which will bring the fleet closer together and the gap will close between HUGO BOSS, Edmond de Rothschild and Maitre Coq.
Thomson explains, "It is very windy at the moment and I have two reefs in and the faster I go the less wind I will have. It is not very comfy onboard and at the moment I hope the wind is not going to increase anymore. As we head towards the finish Jérémie and Sébastien are going to be very close and the winds will become lighter. I need to sail fast and keep the boat together in order to secure a podium position."
www.ny-vendee.com