Hugo Boss Out of the Race

Sponsorship of offshore racing has big risks. While Hugo Boss has been getting loads of media coverage over the last few weeks, it’s not the kind they would have been hoping for. 

Alex Thomson has officially retired from the Vendee Globe race today. The damage sustained to his IMOCA Open 60 yacht HUGO BOSS on Monday night is not repairable by next Wednesday’s restart deadline. It is thought the damage was sustained by a collision with a submerged object.

There is a transverse crack that runs through the outer and inner skin of the boat. The crack extends 5 metres to almost the centreline. The unidirectional fibres that make up the outside layer of the boat have peeled off from the start of the crack to the back of the boat. There is also a 10cm x 10cm compression to the hull which has pushed the core in and a deflection inside the hull.

Alex Thomson speaking on news that HUGO BOSS cannot be repaired in time for the restart: “They think that the repairs are going take a matter of weeks not a matter of days, so it means I’m out of the race, that that’s, the end. So four years and this is where we get to, it’s very disappointing. But enough’s enough, we’ve looked at it and if there was a possibility of fixing it we’d fix it. But apparently there isn’t a possibility. ”

“It’s just awful, not just for me but the team, you know we worked really hard and built a new boat, just to get ready for this one race, and to be out of it just three days in just doesn’t feel right at all, it feels very hard to be back here again.”

Asked if Thomson’s dream of completing the Vendee Globe is over: “We will be back here in 2012 to do it again, we are not going to give up now. We know we’ve got a great team of people and the dream isn’t over for sure, we’re just going to have to put it off for a while .”

“It’s gutting, I feel very sad not only for me, but also my sponsors and the team. These things happen in sailing, you just have to pick yourself up and move forward, my Vendee dreams are not over.” Concluded Thomson.

Speaking to Pascal Conq this morning he explained their thoughts on what could have happened to cause the 5metre long crack. “There is an area of compression on the hull, which has also pushed the core in, plus there is a deflection inside the inside the hull which would signify an impact with something underwater. We have ruled out panel failure from the boat slamming into the waves as the panels run in the wrong direction for the crack.”

Asked if the structural damage was in anyway related to the fishing boat impact last month. “Of course at this stage we can’t say this isn’t anything to do with the fishing boat impact, we will continue to investigate.” Explained Pascal Conq, the designer of HUGO BOSS.

Vendee Globe Village Opens

The Vendée Globe Village has been officially opened by Philippe de Villiers in Port Olona with all the solo yachtsmen on hand for the official photograph.

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Meanwhile, Alex Thompson’s Hugo Boss was dismasted and holed by a fishing boat awaiting entry to the port. 

Between now and the start on 9th November, hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected in the race village in Port Olona. On the “Place du Vendée Globe”, right next to the race pontoon, which is completely open to the public, the village reflects the exceptional character of this edition of the Vendée Globe. The village is spread over more than 15,000 m2 including a covered area of 9000 m2.

In the village, open from 10 in the morning to 7 in the evening, the public will be able to discover:

• A multimedia centre of 800 m2 presenting the race and skippers with films, displays and models. In this centre, TV Vendée will be organising live meetings to be broadcast throughout the village and the department
• An educational centre of 600 m2 will offer more than 10,000 schoolchildren the opportunity to discover the history of sailing, the maritime heritage, the oceans and the environment using the Vendée Globe as an educational tool. 
• An area dedicated to the Vendée Globe partners and the boats´ sponsors, who will present their businesses and their involvement in sailing and ocean racing. 
• A shopping centre where firms and tradesmen will be displaying and selling their products around two themes « Vendée business », « The sea and sea sports». 
• Over more than 2000 m2, catering areas, reception rooms and PR offices, which will remain open in the evenings and where a number of events are planned. 

Organisers want to show that the Vendée Globe is for the public. As at each edition, the Vendée Globe pontoon is open to all visitors. The fact that the public can get right up close to the boats and the skippers is an important element, offering that very particular atmosphere of friendliness and openness you find at the Vendée Globe.

 

To finish, each evening from 7.15, a light and sound show will bring to life the pontoons and the marina area tracing the route taken by the thirty Vendée Globe skippers…