Vendée2020Vision sailors inspired by Alex Thomson’s performance

by Sailing Intelligence on 18 Jan 2017 Regardless of the outcome of the Vendée Globe, which is due to conclude in Les Sables d’Olonne tomorrow (Thursday, 19th January), Alex Thomson will have put in the best British performance in a non-stop round the world race since Robin Knox-Johnson won the first ever event of this kind, the Sunday Times Golden Globe, back in 1969.

Participants in Vendee2020Vision, the initiative to aid up-and-coming British talent in getting to the start line of the next singlehanded round the world race, congratulate Alex on his exceptional performance.

Prior to this Vendée Globe Dame Ellen MacArthur finished second to Michel Desjoyeaux in the 2000-1 Vendée Globe; while Mike Golding came home third in 2004-5, as did Thomson in 2012-3. Never before has a British skipper led the race for two weeks. While all seemed lost as Thomson’s all-black Hugo Boss rounded Cape Horn more than 700 miles behind leader Armel le Cleac’h on Banque Populaire, the three and a half week long slog back up the North Atlantic since then has turned into a battle royal between the French and English boats and Thomson has come repeatedly within a whisker of overtaking his opponent.

With the outcome set to pan out tomorrow, attention will soon turn to British prospects in the next Vendée Globe in four years’ time.

Thomson’s performance has been an inspiration to the next generation of up-and-coming British singlehanded offshore sailors such as Andrew Baker, Conrad Manning, Henry Bomby, Jack Bouttell, Lizzy Foreman, Nikki Curwen, Robin Elsey, Sam Goodchild, Sam Matson and Will Harris. Most have already developed their competitive shorthanded offshore racing skill sets to a high degree aboard 32ft Beneteau Figaro 2s thanks to the Artemis Offshore Academy.

During 2016 this group all participated in a program called Vendée2020Vision, run by Whitecap Ltd in Southampton, that intends to build upon the training provided by the Academy. The aim of Vendée2020Vision is to help progress these sailors up to the next rung of the ladder: Creating their own IMOCA 60 programs that will enable them to participate in, and ultimately to win, the Vendée Globe.

Vendée2020Vision training has been on the water on board the Artemis Ocean Racing IMOCA 60 yacht under the tutelage of former Vendée Globe competitor and record-breaking round the world yachtswoman Dee Caffari. But of equal importance - and the stumbling block for most British potential Vendée Globe competitors - has been developing their skill sets off the water and, in particular, their ability to raise the vital financial backing necessary to get their campaigns off the ground.

To help them with their fund raising, Vendée2020Vision sailors last year had the opportunity to take part in 12 bespoke training modules, which included networking and pitch development coaching. The sailors then had the opportunity to prepare themselves for boardroom scrutiny by testing their pitches in a Dragon’s Den-style ‘real’ environment, presenting to executives from Harrods and clients from accountants Grant Thornton, who then provided their feedback.

It is hoped that Alex Thomson’s success, following 14 years of continuous support from his sponsor Hugo Boss, will act as a good case study and will help ease the purse strings of corporate Britain to enable the next generation to become the sailing heroes of tomorrow.

Will Harris, who won the rookie prize in the 2016 Solitaire du Figaro, commented: 'It is truly inspiring to see Alex giving all he has got to take the Vendée lead. He is putting British solo ocean racing back on the map and doing something I hope will encourage a growth of British solo sailing.'

Sam Matson added: 'Alex's new 24 hour record is proof that he's not giving up until the end. He has a difficult couple of days ahead with the weather, but either way he has nothing to lose. He has created an incredible story by leading the pack and being in the top two nearly the entire way round, which has no doubt raised the profile of the Vendée Globe in the UK. I hope his result will create a legacy from which I can act on in order to find the commercial partnerships required to have race winning potential in the next Vendee Globe.'

Simon Clay, CEO of Whitecap feels that Thomson and Hugo Boss’ performance should help their cause: “What Alex is achieving in this Vendée Globe is remarkable and the result of an extraordinary effort by him and his team with the support of his long term sponsor, Hugo Boss. In this edition of the Vendée Globe he is setting the benchmark in solo ocean racing and sailing sponsorship. I and the Vendee2020Vision team are working hard to ensure that his success results in continued success by British competitors in the next edition of this remarkable race in 2020. We have the talent and we remain resolute in our search for a commercial partner.”