The skippers
Alex Thomson grew up on the shores of the inlet that separates the Isle of Wight from England and developed a passion for sailing. At the age of 25, he won the Clipper Round the World Race 1999 and became the youngest winner of a round the world race.
In 2003, Alex Thomson broke the world speed record in 24 hours and improved it in 2007. He then devoted himself to single-handed racing, but damage forced him to abandon the Vendée Globe in 2004 and he was recovered from the Velux 5 Oceans Race in 2006.
In 2008, he obtained a 2 e place in the Barcelona World Race, which gave him new goals, winning the 2008 Vendée Globe. But three weeks before the start, his boat was hit by a trawler. His entire team was on hand to carry out the work in record time, so that the skipper could take the start. And they succeeded! But three days after the start, Alex Thomson discovered a leak on his boat.
In 2011, he buys a new 60-foot Imoca boat with which he has had a string of successes. In July 2012, he beat the record for crossing the Atlantic from east to west by more than 24 hours. But his dream remains to win the Vendée Globe and to be the first Briton to achieve this performance. It is aboard his brand new Imoca boat Hugo Boss that he is setting out to attack this Transat Jacques Vabre ( Discover the Hugo Boss boat )
The man is also known for performing stunts on his former Imoca Hugo Boss ( Alex Thomson climbs the mast of his Hugo Boss and Alex Thomson gets on his keel )
Guillermo Altadill is one of the most talented and experienced sailors in ocean racing. He has already completed 7 circumnavigations, 18 Atlantic crossings and 300,000 miles of competitive sailing. He has also participated in two Volvo Ocean Races (2001-2002 and 2005-2006) and two Whitbread Round the World Races. He was also on board Cheyenne, the maxi-catamaran, for the Jules Verne Trophy.
He is both a specialist in large oceanic boats, but has also achieved great success in Laser and Olympic classes. He was the Spanish champion in Soling and Tornado, and the coach of the 1996 Tornado gold medalist at the Atlanta Summer Olympics.
He has already participated in the Transat Jacques Vabre with Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss, and won the 2nd e place. In 2013, he won the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race and in 2014, he participated in the Barcelona World Race on board Neutrogena and finished 2nd e .
The boat
| Class | Imoca |
| Sail | GBR 99 |
| Length | 18,23 m |
| Draft | 4,5 m |
| Mast height | 29 m |
| Weight | 7.5 tons |
| Home port | Gosport |
| Architect | VPLP/Guillaume Verdier |
| Job site (manufacturer) | Green Marine |
| Year of launch | 2015 |
| Upwind sail area | 341 m2 |
| Sail area downwind | 576 m2 |
| Source of energy production on board | Hydrogenerator and solar panel |
