Transat Jacques Vabre yacht Hugo Boss repaired heading back to the UK

by Alex Thomson Racing on 26 Nov 2009
Having made the difficult decision last week (16th November) to retire from the Transat Jacques Vabre, Hugo Boss skippers Alex Thomson and Ross Daniel re-routed and made their way to the port of Horta in The Azores. The collision with an unidentified object in the water on the previous evening (15th November) had caused damage to the starboard bow which although they had successfully stabilised, was not possible to repair whilst at sea.

Hugo Boss arrived into the port of Horta at 0230 local time on Thursday 19th November. The team on the ground had a small weather window in which to lift Hugo Boss from the water ahead of the impending high winds and create a temporary repair before the next low pressure system set in.

The shore team were quick to work in order to lift Hugo Boss from the water, dry out the affected area and start work on the hull. Once the external hull was sealed, Hugo Boss was lifted back into the water, where an internal temporary repair was affected. The work in Horta would allow a safe delivery back to the UK where a full repair will take place.

With all repairs complete the shore team left Horta on Saturday evening, for the 1,300 mile delivery to the UK. The team were keen to take advantage of the existing favourable conditions, which would allow for a good downwind passage back to the Hugo Boss base in Gosport. The current ETA for the boat is Friday 27th November.

Alex, Ross and the Hugo Boss team would like to thank everyone in Horta for all their support and assistance, particularly the Harbour Authorities without whom the repair would not have been possible.

www.alexthomsonracing.com