Betreff: Alex Thomson Racing in The Défi Atlantique: AT Racing back up to 2nd but fighting off the French in the Final Countdown!
Absender: "Mary Ambler"
Datum: 16. Dec 2003 15:57
ALEX THOMSON RACING
AT RACING BACK UP TO 2ND BUT FIGHTING OFF THE FRENCH IN THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!
Défi Atlantique: DAY 16
16th December 2003
Race Leader: Ecover (Golding GBR)
Position at 10:30 GMT: 46 10 36 N, 04 54 80 W
AT Racing Location: In Bay of Biscay
Miles to La Rochelle finish line: 151.6m
ETA La Rochelle: Between 0300 – 0900hrs – Wednesday 17th December
* Log onto www.alexthomsonracing.com for regular updates on Alex’s ETA and position in the final 24hrs of the race – it’s all to play for!
* For interviews or photos after his finish please contact Mary Ambler on +44 (0)7887 643 583 or by email
* Vote for Alex Thomson in Portsmouth’s Sportsman of The Year Awards by buying the Portsmouth News on Thursday 18th December and filling in the voting slip in the paper…Go Vote Alex!
The good news today is that Alex Thomson took on VMI (Josse FRA) last night in heavy upwind conditions – and nailed him! But are you holding your breath..? Now there’s just 0.3 of a mile between AT Racing (Thomson GBR) in 2nd and nearest rival PRB (Riou FRA) in 3rd with just 151 miles to go to the finish..! Fellow Brit Golding (Ecover) is 16 miles ahead of Alex as the leaders are counting down the last 24hrs of the 4,100 mile Défi Atlantique solo transatlantic race. It feels like we’re going into the last 10 minutes of a France v England semi-final rugby match and the crowd are on the edge of their seats as the Brits fend off the French for the covetous podium…
OK, put yourself into the shoes of your favourite rugby player, your team are 3 points behind and there’s 10 minutes of the game left until the final whistle. Suddenly the opportunity comes as the opposition lose possession of the ball and you score a beautiful drop-kick to equalise – you run to the side of the pitch, lift your shirt up and punch your fists in the air, the crowd goes wild shouting “Come on England!!” and it’s all going off, but then the focus returns as hardest part is still to come – to win by full time. Well, when Alex rang this morning, you could picture him in exactly the same situation… “Guess what I did overnight..?!! I took on VMI and I got him! I’m back in second!” Cue victory lap around the boat, and if he had one, he’d be pulling his ‘No. 29’ shirt over his head right then…
Alex may have been alone on the high seas for 16 days but in that time he has amassed a stadium-sized fan base, which he has whipped up into a right frenzy as the emails Alex receives on the boat attest to. “Last night was brutal, and I can’t tell you how much all those emails of support kept me going. It was like I could hear my mates shouting at their computers “Come on Alex, go on lad!!” as if they were cheering me on from the sidelines..! How wicked is that?!”
However, it’s right back ‘in medias res’ as AT Racing is a mere 0.3 of a mile ahead in distance to finish of nearest rival PRB (Riou FRA) with 151 miles to go. Alex is locked in a battle to stay ahead: “PRB is 4.5m on my starboard beam, he’s to windward as we are on starboard tack right now. VMI is 9 – 10 miles directly behind, that was last night’s job to get past him and I got him. The breeze got up overnight and I put a second reef in and just steamed past, maybe he had some other problems on board, who knows? But keeping ahead of PRB is going to be much more difficult. The odds are stacked in his favour as he knows his boat better and has newer sails, but I’m going to try my best! I have hardly slept at all, just two 15 minute naps, but even then I was woken up by the autopilot alarm. If I sleep, the boat slows down, so that’s out of the question now. However, it’s going to be harder for me in these upwind conditions as normally the boat would be sailed on the apparent wind angle, it’s comfortable and fast and allows me to get some rest and do other jobs. But with no wind instruments I am now spending 90% of my time hand-steering, or at night I have the pilot on more but I’m constantly having to adjust it. None of us are laying the line so we’ll all have to tack at some point, and for now PRB is in sight and covering me. It’ll get interesting tonight after the last position reports come and it gets dark again, that’s when you can’t cover your opposition…
“I’m surviving on tuna and mayo on melba toast, Pot Noodles – I’ve eaten 8 chocolate bars already today, oh and one apple. I did get round to making some popcorn last night, which is really easy to do on the boat and more comfort food for me. For lunch today I think I’ll have pork, and definitely going to make sure I have a good dinner tonight to fuel the fires!”
And finally…Alex gets told that he’s been put up as one of 6 nominees in Portsmouth’s very own Sportsman Of The Year Award: “You joking..?! I’m up against Harry Redknapp?? Really, what! Tell the Portsmouth News that I’m over the bloody moon! That’s just made my week!”
FOLLOW ALEX THOMSON ON THE ALEXTHOMSONRACING.COM WEBSITE
You can follow Alex Thomson’s racing programme on a new-look format of the current campaign website at www.alexthomsonracing.com, where Alex’s personal updates & images taken on board, plus the latest race information and boat positions will be posted daily online. If you wish to make enquiries, sign up to receive updates or send Alex a message of support at any time please register your email through the Quick Enquiries section online or at info@at-racing.com.
The Défi Atlantique official race web site is at www.defi-atlantique.org
High resolution images of Alex Thomson / ‘AT Racing’ (on board & aerial) are available on request and copyright free.
For all photography, interviews and information, please contact Mary Ambler.
ENDS
AT Racing Ltd
Address: Unit 11, Haslar Marina, Haslar Road, Gosport PO12 1NU
Tel: +44 (0)23 9252 4343 - Fax: +44 (0)23 9252 4646
Website: www.alexthomsonracing.com
Sponsorship enquiries: sponsorship@at-racing.com
General enquiries: info@at-racing.com
Media enquiries: Mary Ambler - Email: mary@alexthomsonracing.com - Mobile: +44 (0) 7887 643 583
Alex Thomson, 29 year old professional sailor from Gosport in England, is the youngest skipper ever to win a round the world yacht race after he came 1st in the Clipper ’98 race. Alex Thomson founded in 2000 and headed up the sailing side of yacht charter company, Formula 1 Sailing Ltd for 3 years. His short-handed career includes racing as co-skipper to Josh Hall on ‘Gartmore’ in the 1999 Transat Jacques Vabre. He also came 1st in the 2000 Criterion Round Britain & Ireland race, and 3rd in class in the 2000 Europe 1 New Man STAR on the Open 50 ‘Sail That Dream.com’. Now Alex Thomson holds the title of first Briton to finish the Transat Jacques Vabre 03 and with Roland Jourdain took 2nd place in the Open 60 Monohull class.
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