Our Mate Alex Thomson’s Races

[Giles]

FUUUUCCCCCKKKKK
http://www.barcelonaworldrace.org/en/news/news

[Chris]

That is shitty luck.  Hopefully, they'll have minimal trouble getting in to port.

[Graeme]

That's a real shame.

Glad to hear that Alex is safe, and the boat is OK. I don't know if there's scope for him to get the mast restepped in Cape Town and head out again.

Alternatively, he could pull a Parlier…

http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/sailing/03/13/parlier.ppl/index.html

[Graeme]

Banque Populaire have released details of their new 60, with the foiling daggerboards. It's a Verdier / VPLP design, and I believe that Alex's new boat is from the same stable.

[Graeme]

A video of the Gitana MOD 70 trimaran flying. Not sure if this is the right place to post it, but it will no doubt perplex @Snowy further…

Also this piece at the Daily Sail reports on a new foiling keel boat.

It's changing very fast…

[Graeme]

Alex has some competition now for performing stunts on his boat!

[Graeme]

More foiling madness.

@Giles I thought you said that they weren't going to fly these boats…

[Giles]

That's what Alex told me…..

[Graeme]

OK, they're not flying. Well, not all the time…

I want a go!

[Graeme]

It lives!

And very nice of Alex to name his boat after Haraki…

[Graeme]

Back in Black.

[Graeme]

The new Boss is getting a lot of attention for her paintwork. There's a piece at Dezeen about the design. It includes this deckplan that gives you an idea of the shape and beam - she's 60' / 18.3 metres long, and about 19' / 5.9 metres wide.

Alex always has the best looking boats, and this is no exception. The design is pretty radical, particularly around the bow section, and he's kept very quiet about the foils so far.

Apparently she's been out sailing, but no footage so far.

[Giles]

Our @Alex  did the inversion test for other Alex on Friday…....

[Giles]

Now I'm making a couple of hasty phone calls to see if I can get a look at the new Boss…

[Giles]

She's home…..

A lovely highly specced interior….....

[Graeme]

Reminds me of this Zaphod Beeblebox quote:

"It's the weird colour scheme that freaks me. Every time you try to operate one of these weird black controls, which are labeled in black on a black background, a small black light lights up black to let you know you've done it. Hey, what is this, some kind of galactic hyper-hearse?"

[Giles]

And that's what she looks like on her side…..

[Giles]

https://www.facebook.com/AlexThomsonRacing/photos/a.124962244184503.23218.124956890851705/1214576155223101/?type=3&theater

[Graeme]

Apparently there's been a daggerboard issue, and Hugo Boss is running a few days late getting to Le Havre for the Transat Jacques Vabre.

In the meantime here's a video of the boat sailing.

[Graeme]

Here's an interview with Alex and Nandor Fa about the new boat.

http://spiritofhungary.hu/skipperek-egymas-kozott-alex-thomson-es-fa-nandor-beszelgetese-tjv2015/

Click through the link, and press play on the control.