Hugo Boss dismasted off Brazil
British sailor Alex Thomson devastated as rig fails while leading the Barcelona World RaceAlex Thomson and Pepe Ribes, skippers of yacht Hugo Boss in the Barcelona World Race have reported that they lost their mast at 21.02 GMT (8.02am AEDT, January 15). The yacht was reaching in moderate conditions when there was a rigging failure and the mast fell overboard and broke 370nm off the cost of Brazil.
At the time of the rig failure, Hugo Boss was leading the race by over 100nm over second-placed Cheminees Poujoulat (Bernard Stamm/Jean Le Cam) with Gaes Centros Auditivos (Anna Corbella/Gerard Marin) a very close third.
This means the Hugo Boss will now cease racing in the Barcelona World Race 2014-2015. The skippers and the shore team are currently evaluating how to get the boat to the nearest landfall, which is likely to be Salvador in Brazil which is a significant distance from the boat’s current position.
Commenting on the dismasting, Stewart Hosford Managing Director of Alex Thomson Racing said: "After such a promising start to the 2014-2015 edition of the Barcelona World Race, this has come as a great shock. We have been preparing for this race for over a year, but unfortunately in offshore racing this type of failure sometimes happens. I now just want the skippers to get to safety and to recognise that they, and the team are very upset that this has happened, and to thank our team and our partners for their support. Alex and Pepe were doing a superb job in this race and having spoken to both of them, they are devastated that this rig failure has ended their race.’
Alex Thomson Racing says the team is grateful for all the support from their fans and will keep everyone updated on the website www.AlexThomsonracing.com
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
