Our Mate Alex Thomson’s Races
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There's an interesting snippet on the front page of Sailing Anarchy.
The biggest wildcard for the internationalization of the Vendee Globe comes from outside the race, and we hear Mark Turner, the Keith Mills/OSM contingent, and a number of different designers and builders are hard at work to determine the feasibility of the ‘Joint Strike” foiling IMOCA/Volvo Ocean Race 68-foot concept for the 2019 Vendee/2020 VOR. With OSM getting somewhat lukewarm worldwide buy-in of the Ocean Masters Series concept since its inception, the combined power of OSM, Boss, and the Volvo could really tip the international balance of IMOCA racing. You won’t have to wait long to find out where that one’s going, and we’re on the edge of our seats along with everyone else who loves ocean racing.
Sir Keith Mills is the financial backer of Alex Thomson Racing, and owner of Open Sports Management (OSM), which handles the commercial rights for the IMOCA class.
Mark Turner founded Offshore Challenges, along with a certain Dame Ellen MacArthur, and it grew into a sports management company. He's since resigned from them, and is now in charge of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The Volvo Ocean 65 is a similar design to an IMOCA 60, but is slightly larger (65 versus 60 feet in length), and designed for crewed racing. It's a one design class, whereas the IMOCAs are mostly open, the current rule stipulates a standard mast and keel.
There has been talk of running the Volvo Ocean Race in IMOCA 60s, rather than using its own class, but it wasn't followed through because it's a crewed event, whereas the Vendée is solo. But with Mills and Turner running the race organisations, I think that there's a good chance it might happen.
Plus a bigger, foiling boat would be cool.
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After a period in the Southern Ocean when Alex was nursing his boat in very tough sea and weather conditions (you don't want to break anything at all, when the nearest help is the guy out front or the guy behind you - and even they are 3-4 days away), he has rounded cape Horn and has put he hammer down. A week or so ago, he was 800 miles behind Armel, now he is 130…..Come on boy......
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This Race is a very good way to introduce my under 10 kids to the world.
They ask nearly every day for Alex´s position.
(Perhaps I am pushing it a bit ;D.)
They like the Japanese competitor most, because of his funny video eating seafood!Turning around Cape Horn, A. is getting on fire! Starboard time!
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This Race is a very good way to introduce my under 10 kids to the world.
They ask nearly every day for Alex´s position.
(Perhaps I am pushing it a bit ;D.)
They like the Japanese competitor most, because of his funny video eating seafood!Turning around Cape Horn, A. is getting on fire! Starboard time!
Brilliant…...
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After Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss appears to have completed one of the biggest comebacks ever in the history of the Vendéee Globe, reducing his delta to 28 miles this Friday morning from over 800 miles last Friday, his rival Armel Le Cléac'h has found a light easterly breeze and is now moving away from the British skipper who was making just over three knots.
Go find some more wind Alex…...
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@Seul earlier.
I know that he's Belgian, not French, but they're all foreigners, and hence the same, to us post-Brexit Brits.
But go Alex!
Meanwhile Stéphane Le Diraison, who's sailing
thea previous Hugo Boss is moored up in Melbourne after losing his mast. I'll have to get down there to take a look. -
And Alex just beat the 24 hour IMOCA record, with 536.8 miles covered…
Officially this time, rather than the unofficially because he was less than a mile ahead of Gabart's 24 hour run.
It looks like it'll be a fast finish to the race. There's not far to go, so fingers crossed that Alex can outrun Armel on the final leg.
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Well, if the Fat Lady isn't singing, she's certainly warming up in the wings…
Armel is about sixty miles from Les Sables d'Olonne, with Alex another hundred behind him. Barring a last minute mishap, and they do happen, I think that the race has its winner.
I wonder if Alex will be back again next time. There are rumours that the next generation Volvo Ocean Race and Vendéé Globe boats will be 68' (nearly 21 metres) long, and foil stabilised. We'll probably hear in a couple of months, once the dust has settled from this event. Maybe that'll tempt him into another attempt.
