On the night of 15-16 November 2018, Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) was stranded against the cliffs of Guadeloupe 75 miles from the finish, as he was circling the island. To get out of it, he had to start his engine, which is prohibited by the regulations. Followed closely by a SNSM star - his boat having suffered damage - he nevertheless finished his tour of Guadeloupe - under sail after rebuilding his engine - and crossed the finish line of the Route du Rhum in first position of the IMOCA.
After 11 days, 23 hours, 10 minutes and 58 seconds of racing, he arrived this Friday, November 16 at 8:10 am and 58 seconds Guadeloupe time
The international jury - composed of 5 referees (2 British, 2 French and 1 German) - lodged a complaint against the skipper of the black IMOCA for using his engine in the race. It is therefore necessary to wait for the verdict of the jury to know the fate of Alex Thomson: penalty or disqualification.
"On the Route du Rhum, the penalties are expressed in time. They range from 0 to disqualification. We are working on a grid system with ranges according to the seriousness of the infraction: penalty from 0 to 2 h, penalty from 2 h to 24 h, penalty from 24 h at DSQ (disqualification)" explains Georges Priol, president of the jury.
And this decision could call everything into question... It will therefore be necessary to wait for the arrival of his pursuers Paul Meilhat (SMA) and Yann Eliès (UCAR-StMichel), 145 miles from Pointe-à-Pitre, to know the winner of this 11th edition of the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe in the IMOCA category.
