Closest Yet

Alex Thomson’s second place in the Vendee Globe equals the best ever British finish in the race. He spoke to JAMES BOYD on his return.

- James Boyd

The nadir of the latest Hugo Boss campaign occurred on 31 October 2015, when Thomson and co-skipper Guillermo Altadill were airlifted off their brand new boat as it began to break up in the Bay of Biscay during the Transat Jacques Vabre. The boat subsequently inverted and, when salvaged, was close to being a write-off. Nonetheless the team at Alex Thomson Racing, plus a legion of boat builders, rallied and over three and a half months, with three teams working around the clock in shifts, putting in similar man hours to those which had gone into the initial build, Hugo Boss version 2 was launched.

As Alex Thomson Racing’s Operations Manager Ross Daniel recalls: “We didn’t think we’d ever get to the Vendée. The team managed it because of the experience they’ve had over the years. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

Hugo Boss was then immediately sailed across the Atlantic for the IMOCA Ocean Masters New York- Vendée Race. In this there was the first glimpse of her staggering speed as she soared away into the lead eventually coming home a close third to Maitre Coq and Edmond de Rothschild.

However, the pre-Vendée Globe upset was not over. During training in the build-up to the start, they broke their new version two foils. Hugo Boss was clearly fast, but going into round the world race on their original foils, pundits were questioning whether she was thoroughly tested and reliable enough to complete a solo lap of the planet.