Monday 11th February 2008
TWO DAYS TO FINISH OF BARCELONA WORLD RACE FOR HUGO BOSS
Thomson and Cape battle harsh conditions on final leg home
Alex Thomson and Andrew Cape, onboard HUGO BOSS, today passed through the final scoring gate of the Barcelona World Race and re-entered the Mediterranean Sea at 0810 GMT. With a little over 400 miles left to the finish line off Barcelona, HUGO BOSS lies in a comfortable second place, around 700 miles ahead of third placed Temenos 2. Thomson and Cape are expected to finish late on Wednesday 13th February, around 48 hours after the race leader Paprec Virbac.
HUGO BOSS' passage through the Straits of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea was by no means easy, as Cape explains: "Last night we had the worst conditions we've seen in the entire race. We had 50 knots of wind on the nose, and the sea state was unbelievable. The weather has abated now though and we are looking at a pretty straightforward weather picture between now and the finish."
With the finish very much in sight, Thomson commented: "Capey and I cannot wait to reach Barcelona, have some proper food, a couple of beers and a warm shower. All our friends and family will be waiting for us on the dock, so we are doing everything we can to get there quickly and safely. We have both really enjoyed this race, and I personally have learnt a huge amount. This was the first round the world race for the new HUGO BOSS and we are extremely pleased with how she has performed. I very much look forward to unleashing her for the Vendée Globe in November this year."
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Annabel Merrison or Kate Fairclough - Pitch PR
T: +44 (0)207 494 1616
M: +44 (0)7721 518411 or +44 (0)7789 268814
E: annabel@pitchpr.com or kate@pitchpr.com
About Alex Thomson
* Alex Thomson set a new 24hr solo monohull World Speed Record in December 2003 covering 468.7nm at an average speed of 19.5 knots during the Défi Atlantique, in which he finished 3rd.
* At 25, Alex Thomson became the youngest skipper ever to win a round the world race - the Clipper Race 1998/99.
* In October 2005 Alex Thomson stepped forward as the only skipper to confirm that he will be racing "3 in 3": 3 grueling round the worlds in as many years: the solo VELUX 5 Oceans in 2006, the inaugural two-handed Barcelona World Race 2007 and the blue ribbon Vendée Globe 2008. Unfortunately Alex's yacht HUGO BOSS suffered keel failure during the VELUX 5 Oceans, forcing him to abandon ship in the Southern Ocean and retire from the race.
Alex has one dream: to be the first Briton to win the Vendée Globe.
www.alexthomsonracing.com
About HUGO BOSS
Sailing complements the sponsorship portfolio of HUGO BOSS which already includes Formula 1 (Team McLaren Mercedes), IRL (Penske Racing), Tennis (Davis Cup), Golf, Boxing (Vladmir Klitschko) and Soccer. In sailing, HUGO BOSS gets another platform to demonstrate its fashion competence both on the boat with BOSS GREEN and shore-side with BOSS BLACK. BOSS GREEN provides Alex and the crew with highly functional and technical outfits for all possible weather conditions around the globe while BOSS BLACK will dress the crew for every celebration function in the smartest possible way.
www.hugoboss-sailing.com
Barcelona World Race - Two crew, non-stop.
Start: 11 November 2007, Barcelona
Finish: February 2008, Barcelona
A new two-handed non-stop round the world yacht race starting and finishing in Barcelona, to be held every 4 years. For the first time this race, the brainchild of Dame Ellen MacArthur's Offshore Challenges Group, will see the world's best professional sailors from both solo and fully crewed disciplines competing against each other in teams of two.
Racing over 25,000 miles over 3 months across the planet's most hostile and challenging oceans in high performance IMOCA Open 60 monohulls. Never before has a two-handed, non-stop round the world race been staged and there has never been a crewed non-stop round the world race in monohulls. This concept opens up a whole new world of possibilities in the sport of extreme offshore sailing.
www.barcelonaworldrace.com E: info@barcelonaworldrace.com
Vendée Globe - Around the world, single-handed, non-stop, without assistance
Start: November 2008, Les Sables d'Olonne, France
Finish: February 2009, Les Sables d'Olonne, France
The blue ribbon event that launched Dame Ellen MacArthur to fame. 3 months around the world's oceanic wildernesses, alone, non-stop and without any outside assistance. Official supplier of legends since 1989 and run every 4 years since, this epic race has yet to be won by a non-Francophone.
www.vendeeglobe.org
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