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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Our Mate Alex Thomson’s Races

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    • GraemeG
      Graeme
      啓蒙家
      Joined:

      Alex has pranged one of his foils on something. I don't know if the damage is serious, but it'll probably slow him down. 😞

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • GilesG
        Giles
        IHUK Crew
        Joined:

        That's the risk when you have bloody great appendages sticking out from the boat…...But he's still going quickly.....

        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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        • GraemeG
          Graeme
          啓蒙家
          Joined:

          He's lost the starboard foil, but still keeping ahead of the chasing pack. 🙂

          So on one tack he's going to be as fast as before, but on the other he'll struggle. Though at 20 knots, he's still going pretty quickly on the wrong side!

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          • GraemeG
            Graeme
            啓蒙家
            Joined:

            Alex is still up front. He's pulled out his lead slightly, it's currently 96 nautical miles. 🙂

            Vincent Riou has retired. He hit something with his keel, and damaged the canting mechanism. He's not confident that he can complete the race without it dropping off. 😞

            There's an interview with Mike Golding, who's done the race a few times on the Vendée website.

            http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/news/16415/mike-golding-offers-his-view-of-the-2016-vendee-globe

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            • GilesG
              Giles
              IHUK Crew
              Joined:

              Go Boy…...

              British skipper Alex Thomson this afternoon completed the fastest ever passage from the Vendée Globe start line to the Cape of Good Hope in the race's 27-year history. Thomson's Hugo Boss passed the famous milestone on the tip of South Africa at 1100 UTC in seventeen days, 22 hours and 58 minutes since beginning the epic solo round the world race from Les Sables d'Olonne in France.

              The time obliterates the current race record for the passage of 22 days and 23 hours set by Armel Le Cléac'h in 2012, which in turn broke Vincent Riou's 2004 time of 24 days and two hours. While the Cape of Good Hope is used as the reference point for the passage in the Vendee Globe, it is not actually the most southerly point in South Africa. That title goes to Cape Agulhas, around 90 miles to the south east.

              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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              • rocketR
                rocket
                Joined:

                seems like he just smashed the old record, impressing…

                rocketrocksrox 🤙🏼🤙🏾

                It's all humbug, like everywhere
                R.I.P. Geo

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                • GilesG
                  Giles
                  IHUK Crew
                  Joined:

                  https://www.facebook.com/AlexThomsonRacing/videos/vb.124956890851705/1594904583856921/?type=2&theater

                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • GilesG
                    Giles
                    IHUK Crew
                    Joined:

                    https://www.facebook.com/IMOCA.OceanRacing/videos/10155406265035961/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

                    "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • SimonS
                      Simon
                      Joined:

                      That's very cool, he's gaining ground even on a port tack, with a broken foil, amazing!

                      Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities - Frank Lloyd Wright

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                      • GilesG
                        Giles
                        IHUK Crew
                        Joined:

                        You should come to the Sea Horse on A Weds night.  Alex phones in at 20:00 and talks about how he is doing, answers questions etc (and they have Timothy Taylor Landlord on tap)…...

                        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                        • SimonS
                          Simon
                          Joined:

                          Nice, I'll be there next week.

                          Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities - Frank Lloyd Wright

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                          • GilesG
                            Giles
                            IHUK Crew
                            Joined:

                            Great, I get there about 19:00 and eat…....

                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                            • GilesG
                              Giles
                              IHUK Crew
                              Joined:

                              Alex is now on starboard tack, therefore his remaining foil is coming into play.  Result:  He is now in the lead and slowly pulling out the gap…..Come on boy......

                              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • GraemeG
                                Graeme
                                啓蒙家
                                Joined:

                                The French navy has nothing better to do than hang out in the Southern Ocean, and shoot footage of racers in the Vendée Globe. 😉

                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • GilesG
                                  Giles
                                  IHUK Crew
                                  Joined:

                                  The French Navy has never had much better than that to do…...

                                  But seriously, I am surprised that Frigate could keep up....

                                  "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • GraemeG
                                    Graeme
                                    啓蒙家
                                    Joined:

                                    There's an interesting snippet on the front page of Sailing Anarchy.

                                    The biggest wildcard for the internationalization of the Vendee Globe comes from outside the race, and we hear Mark Turner, the Keith Mills/OSM contingent, and a number of different designers and builders are hard at work to determine the feasibility of the ‘Joint Strike” foiling IMOCA/Volvo Ocean Race 68-foot concept for the 2019 Vendee/2020 VOR.  With OSM getting somewhat lukewarm worldwide buy-in of the Ocean Masters Series concept since its inception, the combined power of OSM, Boss, and the Volvo could really tip the international balance of IMOCA racing.  You won’t have to wait long to find out where that one’s going, and we’re on the edge of our seats along with everyone else who loves ocean racing.

                                    Sir Keith Mills is the financial backer of Alex Thomson Racing, and owner of Open Sports Management (OSM), which handles the commercial rights for the IMOCA class.

                                    Mark Turner founded Offshore Challenges, along with a certain Dame Ellen MacArthur, and it grew into a sports management company. He's since resigned from them, and is now in charge of the Volvo Ocean Race.

                                    The Volvo Ocean 65 is a similar design to an IMOCA 60, but is slightly larger (65 versus 60 feet in length), and designed for crewed racing. It's a one design class, whereas the IMOCAs are mostly open, the current rule stipulates a standard mast and keel.

                                    There has been talk of running the Volvo Ocean Race in IMOCA 60s, rather than using its own class, but it wasn't followed through because it's a crewed event, whereas the Vendée is solo. But with Mills and Turner running the race organisations, I think that there's a good chance it might happen.

                                    Plus a bigger, foiling boat would be cool. 😃

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                                    • GilesG
                                      Giles
                                      IHUK Crew
                                      Joined:

                                      After a period in the Southern Ocean when Alex was nursing his boat in very tough sea and weather conditions (you don't want to break anything at all, when the nearest help is the guy out front or the guy behind you - and even they are 3-4 days away), he has rounded cape Horn and has put he hammer down.  A week or so ago, he was 800 miles behind Armel, now he is 130…..Come on boy......

                                      http://tracking2016.vendeeglobe.org/hp5ip0/

                                      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                                      • GilesG
                                        Giles
                                        IHUK Crew
                                        Joined:

                                        74.7…..

                                        "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                                        • AetasA
                                          Aetas
                                          見習いボス
                                          Joined:

                                          This Race is a very good way to introduce my under 10 kids to the world.
                                          They ask nearly every day for Alex´s position.
                                          (Perhaps I am pushing it a bit ;D.)
                                          They like the Japanese competitor most, because of his funny video eating seafood!

                                          Turning around Cape Horn, A. is getting on fire! Starboard time!

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                                          • GilesG
                                            Giles
                                            IHUK Crew
                                            Joined:

                                            I'm hoping when I wake up tomorrow, that he is in first position….

                                            "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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