Sea, Sail & Surf newsOpen 60s
Alex Thomson acquires top Open 60 ’Sill Entreprises’
Full programme including solo Vendée Globe qualifier, Europe 1 STAR
jeudi 11 septembre 2003 –
- Alex aboard ’Bilou’s Open 60
- Photo : Mary Ambler
In order to manage the 2004 Vendée Globe campaign, Alex has established a new company, AT Racing Ltd, with marketing entrepreneur Keith Mills, who is the founder of both the Air Miles and Nectar marketing programmes. The new company will be responsible for managing the Open 60 yacht and providing all of the shore support and marketing facilities necessary for a project of this scale.
Alex Thomson is no stranger to racing around the world : in 1999 he won the Clipper Round The World yacht race and became the youngest skipper to do so at the age of 25 years. Since then, he has successfully competed in many ocean races and established one of the UK’s leading yacht racing companies, Formula 1 Sailing Ltd.
His training and racing programme begins immediately : Alex is pairing up with the 2002 FICO Lacoste World Champion & IMOCA Imoca #IMOCA (International Monohull Open Class Association) Champion, also the previous skipper of ’Sill Entreprises’, French skipper Roland Jourdain, to compete together on the boat in the two-handed Transat Jacques Vabre Transat Jacques Vabre #TJV2015 race. This classic, biennial short-handed event starts from Le Havre, France on November 1st, following the coffee route across the Equator to Salvador, Brazil, and counts 18 Open 60’s amongst the record Record #sailingrecord 45 entries. After winning the 2001 edition, Jourdain will be defending his title with Alex as co-skipper this time.
Next on the agenda for Alex is the crucial Vendée Globe solo qualifier race, a new event for the Open 60 class, which starts from Salvador, Brazil, on 30th November 2003 and finishes in La Rochelle, France, just before Christmas. The boat will then be based in Gosport, England, and the 2004 schedule will include the single-handed Europe 1 STAR event, plus several record Record #sailingrecord attempts, in the build up to the fifth edition of the Vendée Globe itself on 7th November from Les Sables d’Olonne, France.
Speaking from his base in Gosport, Alex said "It’s always been my ambition to compete in the Vendée Globe, it really is the ultimate challenge for a yachtsman. I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to buy such a competitive boat as ’Sill’ and I’m very fortunate that I have the golden opportunity to race with the previous skipper on board - Roland is the best teacher for me as well as the most successful skipper on the circuit, and so I am going to get invaluable experience before I go solo."
In addition, Alex is working towards finalising plans for sponsorship before the end of the year. As director of Formula 1 Sailing, Alex was able to secure sponsorship from the designer brand Hugo Boss to compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race on the company’s new Farr 65, and during Skandia Cowes Week was featured on ITV coaching McLaren F1 racing driver David Coulthard on the tactics of yacht racing. In a country awash with female sailing stars, Alex Thomson will cut a dash as Great Britain’s rising male solo talent.
Roland Jourdain himself will be announcing the build of a new Open 60 for the 2004 Vendée Globe and is happy to be passing the helm of his current boat over to Alex Thomson : "I believe Alex has great potential as a solo skipper. ’Sill’ is a winning boat, she is definitely competitive for another 3 years and so Alex has the best chance to perform well even against the newer boats. I look forward to racing with him this winter and wish him fair winds for the Vendée Globe on such a special boat !"
Information Mary Ambler
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