Alex Thomson finishes second in the Vendée Globe 2016-17
by Andi Robertson 20 Jan 2017 08:26 GMT
20 January 2017
British sailor Alex Thomson has finished the Vendée Globe solo round the world yacht race in second-place after 74 days 19 hours 35 minutes and 15 seconds at sea.
Thomson, 42, set out to become the first Brit ever to win the Vendée Globe but following an epic battle with French skipper Armel Le Cléac'h missed out on the top spot by just shy of 16 hours. The skipper of Hugo Boss crossed the finish line at 0737 UTC in a time of 74 days, 19 hours, 35 minutes and 15 seconds in one of the closest finishes ever in the race's 27-year history. Le Cléac'h, 39, took the top spot yesterday at 1537 UTC with a time of 74 days, three hours and 35 minutes, setting a new race record by three days, 22 hours and 41 minutes. Although Thomson had to settle for second place his time also supersedes the previous record of 78 days 2 hours 16 minutes set by French sailor François Gabart in the 2012-13 edition.
It is the second time in four attempts that Thomson has finished on the Vendée Globe podium - he took third place in the 2012-13 edition after being forced to retire from the 2004-05 and 2008-09 races. The result makes him the most successful non-French skipper in the history of the race. In the 2001 race British yachtswoman Dame Ellen MacArthur finished in second place taking 94 days, four hours and 25 minutes to do so. Sixteen years on Thomson was almost 20 days quicker, a feat made all the more impressive given that one of Hugo Boss' foils providing lift and therefore speed was destroyed just two weeks into the race.
Thomson arrived in the Vendée Globe's home port of Les Sables d'Olonne in France at sunrise to rapturous applause from thousands of race fans that braved the freezing temperatures to welcome him home. Among the first to congratulate Thomson on his incredible achievement was his wife Kate, their six-year-old son Oscar and two-year-old daughter Georgia who enjoyed an emotional reunion onboard Hugo Boss prior to arriving at Port Olona marina. "It's an amazing feeling to be here – you never really know for sure that it's going to happen until you cross the finish line," Thomson said. "We've been away a long, long time and it's great to finally be here. I hoped and prayed I could catch Armel but about 24 to 36 hours from the finish I knew that was the end. I've spent the whole race wondering what could have happened if the foil hadn't broken, but it did, and now it's finished. Congratulations to Armel, what a great race he had and he thoroughly deserved to win. I'm very happy with second place. Now I'm looking forward to getting some sleep, seeing my family and having my life back."
Thomson and Le Cléac'h were singled out as the pre-race favourites prior to the start on November 6 and they lived up to their top billing, spending much of the 25,000nm race practically neck and neck. Both sailors topped the leaderboard at various stages of the opening days but it was when Thomson rocketed from eighth to first by taking a shortcut through the Cape Verde Islands that the battle between the pair really began. Thomson led at the Equator but on November 19 he hit a submerged object and the starboard foil was ripped from the boat. Despite this he led round the Cape of Good Hope into the Southern Ocean, but was overhauled by Le Cléac'h on December 3. In a display of sheer skill and talent Thomson, with a little help from the weather gods, turned a 800nm deficit at Cape Horn into a gap of just 50nm as the pair crossed the Equator heading north.
He set a new 24-hour distance record on January 16th, sailing 536.81nm at an average speed of 22.4 knots to break Francois Gabart's existing record by two miles. Hearts were in mouths when Thomson got to within 30 miles of Le Cléac'h with just a few hundred miles to the finish line, but just as it looked like he would cause a major upset his French rival accelerated away to build up an unassailable lead. Thomson sailed 27,636nm in the race at an average speed of 15.39 knots, at times hitting more than 30 knots.
The fact that Thomson even started the race was an incredible achievement. Exactly one year before the Vendée Globe was due to begin the newly-launched Hugo Boss was dismasted 80nm off the coast of Spain after being smashed side-on by a massive Atlantic wave. Thomson, who had been competing with Spaniard Guillermo Altadill in the Transat Jacques Vabre doubled-handed race across the Atlantic, had to be airlifted off the stricken boat by coastguards. Hugo Boss was badly damaged but recovered and towed to Spain. Amazingly his shore team won the race against time to get her start of the 2016-17 Vendée Globe.
Quotes:
"The last three days have been very, very long, especially when I realised I was not going to beat Armel. It then felt like it took a very long time to get here. You couldn't have a better place to finish here in Les Sables d'Olonne, the weather is fantastic and the welcome is second to none. My biggest battle has been that I've been frustrated that my boat couldn't go as quick as it could've done, but I've dealt with that frustration and I don't really want to talk about it any more. I've been positive and for me finishing in second is better than finishing third like last time, and it leaves room for improvement if I'm allowed to do it again next time. For that you'll have to ask my wife."
"Right now I don't feel tired but I've slept five hours in the last three days and in the last 24 hours I haven't slept at all. I'm running on empty and looking forward to some sleep. There was always a possibility of overtaking Armel but although sometimes he was only 40 miles away it was always very difficult to advance on Armel. It's the Vendee Globe, anything can happen, but I knew it was going to take something quite extraordinary to beat Armel."
"The starboard foil is completely gone. The race would have been very different if it hadn't have broken and I've dealt with that mentally for the last two months. The speed difference was one thing but the feel of the boat was completely different – every time I was on port I hated it, it was horrible. The pleasure of the race was breaking the 24-hour distance record. There was plenty of pain too with this race, but it's amazing how quickly you forget about it after the finish, and very quickly you're up for doing it again."
British sailor Alex Thomson defies the odds to finish second in the Vendée Globe, smashing the British record in the process (from Alex Thomson Racing)
After 74 days, 19 hours and 35 minutes at sea, British sailor Alex Thomson reached the finish line of the Vendée Globe on his boat HUGO BOSS at 7:37 UTC Friday 20th January 2017, and in doing so broke his own British record of 80 days for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe in a monohull.
As well as becoming the fastest Brit to ever sail solo around the world, Thomson has matched Dame Ellen MacArthur's second place finish which she achieved back in the 2001 edition of the race. Thomson's achievements are all the more extraordinary for the fact that he suffered potentially race-ending damage to his boat on day 13 at sea. A collision with an unidentified object in the water caused his starboard foil to break, but even with this set back Alex has fought until the finish securing second place.
At one point, Thomson fell some 800 miles behind the leader, but delivered the greatest performance of his career to get himself back in contention and to set up one of the most thrilling final stages that the Vendée Globe has ever seen.
Over the past week, Thomson and first placed sailor, Armel Le Céac'h, have been involved in a sprint to the line, with Thomson continuing to gain miles on his French rival. In doing so, the British sailor broke the world speed record, and at one point pulled the difference back to less than 40 nautical miles. The two sailors continued to battle it out to the end, before Le Cleac'h finally sealed victory on Thursday afternoon.
The Vendée Globe is a single-handed, non-stop, unassisted race around the world. Often termed 'the Everest of Sailing', the race – which takes place just once every four years – pushes sailors to their very limits, requiring them to compete alone at sea without stopping, setting foot on dry land, or receiving any form of assistance for almost three months.
It is one of the world's toughest sporting challenges, with only 72 sailors to ever complete the race since its inception. Dangerous and unpredictable, only 18 of the 29 sailors who began this edition of the Vendée Globe remain in the race. In the past, three skippers have lost their lives attempting to conquer the challenge.
Thomson, who was greeted by thousands of people who flocked to Les Sables d'Olonne on the west coast of France to witness his triumphant return, said: "It's incredible to be here in second place, particularly given the loss of my starboard foil in the early part of the race. In our sport, challenges do not get any tougher, so this is a moment I will never forget."
"This result is not just for me; it's for my sponsor, for HUGO BOSS, for my family and friends who have supported me, and for my entire team who have worked tirelessly both before and throughout the race. We have put in years of preparation to get to the start and to ensure both the boat and me were in the best possible shape to take on this phenomenal race.
"To sail down the canal here in Les Sables d'Olonne, back where it all started on November 6th and to see huge crowds of people was an amazing feeling. And to be back with my wife Kate and children Oscar and Georgia again is emotional and very special."
The 2016-17 edition of the Vendée Globe began on Sunday, November 6th when Thomson, alongside 28 fellow skippers, set sail from Les Sables d'Olonne, France. Thomson and his team had spent more than two years ahead of the race designing and building a brand new IMOCA 60 race boat, HUGO BOSS. Despite the loss of the boat's starboard foil early in the race, Thomson's four years of intense training and preparation allowed for a recovery more defiant than anyone could ever have imaged.
CEO of Alex Thomson Racing, Stewart Hosford, said: "We are incredibly proud of what Alex has achieved. A race like this is the culmination of four years of hard work, training and preparation from both Alex and the team behind the scenes. We came here to win the Vendée Globe, but Alex's 2nd place finish together with a number of new records is a superb achievement. Thank you to the team, sponsors and everyone who made this possible."