Our Mate Alex Thomson’s Races

[Giles]

Alex is currently in 6th position.  20 started and after just 7 days, there have been 4 retirements, including Samantha Fox who lost her mast a couple of days ago….

[Chris]

Samantha Fox, the pop singer from the 80s?

[Giles]

Nope, lovely British Sailor - If Sam Fox the pop singer from the 80's was racing, she would need no added buoyancy…..

http://tekstovi-pesama.com/g_img2/0/s/241179/samantha%2520fox-3.jpg

[Chris]

I was thinking much the same…

[Giles]

Alex is still in 6th place.  Six boats have now retired from the race….

[Graeme]

And they're not yet into the Southern Ocean.

If past performance is anything to go by, somewhere between a third and a half of the fleet will make it round.

[joesaintjohn]

This has been the most interesting thread. I've really enjoyed it.

[Giles]

@Graeme:

And they're not yet into the Southern Ocean.

If past performance is anything to go by, somewhere between a third and a half of the fleet will make it round.

And it's usually Alex who breaks something major. This time his boat is a generation older than some of the other boats, which is actually good - it is stronger (but heavier)…..

[Giles]

Then I just read this update:

_There were no changes in position in the 2000hrs ranking, but the front of the fleet continued winning back some of the miles they lost in the Doldrums.

The top six continues to spread slowly with Bernard Stamm (Cheminées Poujoulat) having repairs to his genoa to make and Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) slower in these reaching conditions in his older generation boat._

[Graeme]

I don't know if you're a subscriber to The Daily Sail, but Alex and Mike Golding did a dock walk prior to the race, and commented that PRB is somewhat flimsy. I wouldn't want to be in the rough stuff on board her.

Fingers crossed that Alex doesn't break anything major this time in the Southern Ocean.

Forgot to say earlier, but I'm gutted that the lovely Sam Davies is out of the race.

[Giles]

Alex is now in 5th.  I can't work out how he did that though….

[Seul]

The others gave up?.. Alien attack?..

[Graeme]

There were reports that Alex was fixing a hydrogenerator mount. It's possible that's been done, and now he's back up to speed. Or he's been lucky and caught (or picked) better weather than the others.

Or they just suck, and Alex is taking names…

[Graeme]

Vincent Riou, winner in 2004, hit a metal buoy mid-ocean, and has now retired. Bernard Stamm is having genoa trouble and has slowed.

Stamm has had even more bad luck than Alex with his boats. From 2008…

Alex is now into fourth.

[madmonday]

that image is incredible.

[Giles]

Alex is up into third (but with the best part of 20,000 miles to go, does not mean a great deal):

[Giles]

Alex is now in second…

[Giles]

[Friday]

WOW!! Amazing pics and updates… Wishing Alex all the best.. godspeed!!

[Giles]

The key issue which Alex describes above is to get into the next big weather system either first or furthest out in front.  The current top 5 should pick up the next system, those further back may not.  If they don't they basically don't have a hope, they will never be able to catch up.  Once Alex and co are in the Southern Ocean with big weather, we'll start seeing some 500 mile days (and probably more broken boats)…..