Alex Thomson and Guillermo Altadill finish second in the Transat Jacques Vabre

 

Alex Thomson and Guillermo Altadill sailed a great race. Having set off from Le Havre on the 2nd of November, the pair held their ground with the frontrunners during the first third of the Atlantic crossing and on the 6th, after stealing away the lead from Cheminées Poujoulat, the pair chose to position themselves North of the fleet along with Jean-Pierre Dick and Jérémie Beyou's Virbac-Paprec 3.

 

That was a tactical call that paid off and both teams were locked into an intense match race that slowly tipped in favour of the French duo. Alex and Guillermo on Hugo Boss, which for this regatta was the former Estrella Damm which competed in the first edition of the Barcelona World Race, reached Puerto Limón (Costa Rica) in second place on the 19th of November, with a finishing time of 16 days, 9 hours and 20 minutes, some 15 hours behind Virbac-Paprec 3. They notched up average speeds of 12.03 knots.

 

Both sailors have strong characters and are well-known for their will to win. That combination has proved to be a success. Alex has praised Guillermo's knowledge of the boat and the Spaniard has also expressed his satisfaction at sailing with the Briton. “We have similar characters and we complement one another well”, explained Guillermo at the finish. “Alex also has a lot of solo experience and on this type of boat that is very useful in certain situations”.