After leading the fleet in the early days of the race, Alex Thomson, sailing on the IMCO 60 Hugo Boss, has withdrawn from the Vendee Globe single-handed around the world race. Thomson has diverted to Cape Town, South Africa after suffering damage to the starboard rudder of the Hugo Boss.
The Hugo Boss suffered structural damage to the bow last week. Thomson slowed the boat and made repairs to the bow with tools and material aboard. He then began racing again until suffering rudder damage. As the damage to the starboard rudder can not be repaired at sea, Thomson disconnected the starboard rudder and is relying on the port rudder to steer while sailing to Cape Town for repairs.
Thomson is currently approximately 1,800 nautical miles from Cape Town and it is expected to take the skipper around seven days to make the journey.
This is Alex Thomson’s fifth Vendee Globe Race. He came in second in the 2016-2017 race and third in the 2012-2013 edition. Scuttlebutt Sailing News notes that in 2004-2005 on his first attempt, he had to abandon into Cape Town with damage to his deck after his boom gooseneck failed and in 2008-2009 he had to retire early in the race with structural problems caused by a huge gale on the Bay of Biscay.
Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.
this is unfortunate but to be expected, the race being for boats of a development formula (to use a motor racing term). I think they need to develop better shock proofing for the rudders, or perhaps make them like those craft knives where you snap off the end of the blade and push it out further each time it becomes blunt.
Darn those Orca’s from Spain.
At Willy: (Are you free?)
I was talking with a professor who studies these amazing whales. She says that Orcas are a highly intelligent species and she thinks that those three orcas are taking revenge for one that might have been killed or badly injured by a yacht. Contrary to the old myth that Orcas do not touch humans she says that she would not get in the water if they, or bottle nosed dolphins, are around.
My apologies. My post was a feeble attempt at trying to be funny
Not at all Willy, I was trying to add to the conversation.